Back in the swing
Poulter’s comeback good for golf
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Professional golf should have a sign posted at every tournament reading: “Characters Needed.’’
The game, which is littered with too many too bland, robotic players who blend into the woodwork, needs more characters like Ian Poulter succeeding in it.
Poulter was born to be the center of attention. The colorful British golfer, who designs his own line of clothing, wears his blonde hair spiked and is never adverse to speaking his mind, gravitates to the spotlight like a moth to neon light.
That’s what has made the past six months so dark for him as he recovered from an arthritic condition in his right foot that prevented him from playing tournament golf and — most importantly — kept him from playing the Ryder Cup last fall.
Poulter lives for the Ryder Cup. And why wouldn’t he? It’s the game’s biggest stage. His performances in the biennial event have backed up his passion, as Poulter has been Europe’s catalyst and workhorse since he began qualifying for the event.
It’s no coincidence, with Poulter sidelined at Hazeltine (where he served as a vice captain), the Americans defeated the Europeans for the first time since 2008 and the Europeans have lost just one of the five Ryder Cups in which Poulter has played.
Indeed, Poulter’s career has been defined by his remarkable Ryder Cup success (a 12-4-2 career record), but until he returns to form, not only will his status for the 2017 Ryder Cup in France be in doubt, but his status on the PGA Tour will as well.
Poulter, who once was ranked as high as No. 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings, has tumbled to No. 206, and this week is playing the Honda Classic, which begins with first-round play on Thursday at PGA National. This is his first PGA Tour event of 2017. “You can’t be out for five months and not miss it,’’ Poulter said Wednesday. “I missed it after the first week.’’
Not playing in the Ryder Cup?
“It was painful,’’ Poulter said. “It was horrible. As soon as I called it a day last year [in June], I obviously knew the Ryder Cup was done for me.’’
Poulter currently is playing the PGA Tour on a major medical extension. He needs to make $220,301 or accumulate 155 FedEx Cup points in his next six starts to keep full playing status for the rest of the year.
“I’ve got a lot of drive,’’ Poulter said. “Of course I want it to happen now. I need it to happen now. I need to get going.’’
Poulter has a colorful recent history at the Honda Classic’s Champion Course at PGA National, where two years ago he got a case of the shanks and hit five balls in the water in the final round yet still had a chance to win, ending up tied for third.
Reminded of that calamity Wednesday and asked by a reporter if he’ll play shots any differently this time around, Poulter joked, “Well, I wouldn’t aim 70 yards left on the fifth hole and try and shank it in the middle of the green, no.
“When you stand on those holes, obviously it’s hard not to know what happened, because it did. There are a couple of holes on the course, which were pretty nasty that Monday [final round in 2015], and I’d like to forget about them. Thanks for bringing them up. But I like the golf course. I like how it suits my game. I like how it suits my eye.’’
One thing that has not suited Poulter’s eye has been the current world rankings, which serve as a reminder about how much time he has lost in the last half year and how much he has to make up.
Asked if he looks at the world rankings, Poulter said, “Not anymore.’’
“I used to do it every week, but I’ve stopped looking, just because it’s not a very nice number to look at,’’ he said. “It was good when it was No. 5. I used to look at it all the time, but 200 doesn’t sound very good, does it? So I stopped.
“You have to scroll down a bit. It’s really annoying when you click on the page and it’s like ‘1 to 50, 50 to 100, 100 to 150.’ I hate going four pages down. It’s miserable.’’
Miserable doesn’t suit Poulter well. Poulter playing well and back in the spotlight not only is good for Poulter, it’s good for the game.