POSTMAN TO SUPERMAN
Magical Poulter never fails to deliver when it matters
IAN POULTER is 45, has not enjoyed a tournament victory for three years and had to rely on a wildcard to earn his Ryder Cup place.
He is the shortest hitter in either team on a course that has been specifically set up for America’s cannonball drivers and he missed the cut at Wentworth.
He should be a walking point in the pocket for the home side atWhistling Straits. But to the confoundment of the United States there is another Ian Poulter who rises during this week in the calendar whose record bears no resemblance to the tour pro who shares his name. Tony Stark becomes Iron Man. The list of the vanquished when Poulter dons his Ryder Cup armour reads like a who’s who of world golf – Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson have all fallen to his sword. Poulter’s reputation as Mr Ryder Cup extends before him and he is revelling at the prospect of becoming tormentor-in-chief to the United States in their own back yard once again.
“I’m sure that I’ve annoyed plenty of them,” said Poulter, known as The
Postman for his ability to deliver points when it matters most. “I mean my percentage has been really nice for me and not for the guys I’ve played against, so I’m sure it has been a pretty frustrating thing to be on the receiving end of that.
“It feels nice. I enjoy holing putts and winning matches. It’s been a great ride.
“I’m never going to apologise for it. It’s how matchplay should be played. It’s backnine Sunday mentality every single time you tee it up.” There will, of course, come a time when the bag of magic dust will run out for Poulter. Maybe it will be this week.
Father Time can only be defied for so long. But Steve Stricker will be wary. If anyone should know the danger he poses it is the US captain. He has been beaten three times by Poulter in Ryder Cups.
“I hate losing,” said Poulter. “You see the guy and when you play matchplay you know what you have to do when you tee up on the first hole.
“You can control a match. You can dictate a match. You can play certain shots to try to put your opponent under pressure. It’s just a fun game of chess.
“It’s a very simple form of golf. You don’t ever look at the options around the green to say: ‘Here’s the right place to miss or here’s the wrong place.’ It’s single-minded focus on your
target. The more simple it is, the easier it is for my brain to understand and aggressively go at those targets.
“You can’t expect a par to win a hole. You have to expect to try to birdie every single hole to have a chance of winning or even halving the hole.”
If Poulter’s numbers are exceptional in Europe, in the US they are simply astounding with nine wins in 11 matches.
If Europe are to pull off what would be a famous victory in Wisconsin, The Postman will need to deliver on American soil once again.
Poulter said: “To know that we are underdogs, to know that we have to play extra special this week to get the job done, it will feel pretty rewarding at the end of the week if we can get it done.
“I just think that if we can come out on top on Sunday night, it will be a pretty special one.”