Mr Ryder Cup will still be a morale booster
SO it’s official. Ian Poulter will not be playing in the Ryder Cup this September. No bulging eyes, no manic clenching of fists, no unrivalled displays of passion.
‘What’s the point of watching?’ my 18-year-old son declared, following the sad news yesterday.
You can see where he’s coming from. Not for nothing did Poults earn the moniker ‘Mr Ryder Cup’.
Naturally, captain Darren Clarke moved swiftly to limit the damage and the boost to American morale, naming the Englishman as one of his vice-captains.
Clarke will undoubtedly employ Poulter as a motivational speaker, for who wouldn’t be inspired by this particular background story.
After all, there will never be another player who goes from behind the counter in a professional’s shop at 17 to playing in five Ryder Cups, winning 12 and halving two of his 18 matches.
Of course, it doesn’t always follow that because you’re brilliant at team golf you’ll bring out the best in others. Unfortunately, Sir Nick Faldo rather showed that in 2008.
But here’s what Clarke had to say about Poulter earlier in the year. ‘You just can’t believe how good he is in the team room,’ he told Sportsmail. ‘Everyone is aware of what he can do on the course but behind the scenes he’s equally inspiring. All those players who wonder how he’s done so well when there are arguably better ball strikers out there soon realise when they listen to him.’
Poulter, who turned 40 in January, will not be playing owing to an arthritic foot condition that will keep him out until October and has worrying implications for his future. Let’s hope he defies the odds, as so often.
In the meantime, what’s your favourite Mr Ryder Cup moment? Actually, I think we can all agree on that Saturday afternoon at Medinah in 2012, when Europe were in the doghouse until Poulter finished with five straight birdies to win his fourball match with Rory McIlroy and transform the contest.
That wasn’t just Poulter’s finest hour, but arguably the most influential passage of play by any man in the history of the Ryder Cup.
So thanks for the memories, Poults — and do pass on a little of the stardust this September, won’t you?