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Ian Poulter

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Ian Poulter
Poulter at the 2009Telus Skins Game
Personal information
Full nameIan James Poulter
NicknameThe Postman
Born(1976-01-10)10 January 1976(age 48)
Hitchin,Hertfordshire,England
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight189 lb (86 kg; 13.5 st)
Sporting nationalityEngland
ResidenceOrlando, Florida,U.S.
Milton Keynes,Buckinghamshire,England
Career
Turned professional1995
Current tour(s)LIV Golf
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
Challenge Tour
Professional wins17
Highestranking5 (21 February 2010)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour3
European Tour12
Japan Golf Tour1
Asian Tour2
PGA Tour of Australasia1
Challenge Tour1
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT6:2015
PGA ChampionshipT3:2012
U.S. OpenT12: 2006
The Open Championship2nd:2008
Achievements and awards
Sir Henry Cotton
Rookie of the Year		2000

Ian James Poulter(born 10 January 1976) is an Englishprofessional golferwho plays in theLIV Golf League.He has previously been ranked as high as number 5 in the world rankings. The highlights of Poulter's career to date have been his twoWorld Golf Championshipwins at the2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championshipand the2012 WGC-HSBC Champions,as well as being part of fiveRyder Cupwinning European teams. He is the touring professional forWoburn Golf and Country Club.[2]

Early career

[edit]

Born inHitchin,and raised inStevenage,[3]Poulter took up the game at the age of four when his single-handicap father, Terry, gave him a cut-down 3-wood. His older brother Danny is also aprofessional golfer.[4]Unable to get a place as a pro at aprivate club,he became the assistant pro and golf shop manager at the Chesfield Downs Golf Club.[5]There he was forced by his boss to pay a full green fee every time he wanted to play in a competition. His handicap hence stayed at four, because he did not play in competitions. Following this period, Poulter joined as Assistant Pro at Leighton Buzzard golf course, giving lessons to youngsters at £1 per lesson.[6]He is an avid fan of football clubArsenal.[7]

Professional career

[edit]

Poulter turned professional in 1996 gaining his first win at the 1999Open de Côte d'Ivoireon the European Tour's second tierChallenge Tour.He won promotion to the European Tour itself via thequalifying schoollater that year. In his first season, he claimed theItalian Opentitle and was theSir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Yearfor 2000. Further wins followed in each of the next four seasons, most prestigiously the season ending "tour championship" theVolvo Mastersin 2004. He was in the top ten on the Order of Merit in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2012. In 2013, he finished 2nd on the Order of Merit, his highest placing so far. After narrowly missing a place in the 2002 EuropeanRyder Cupteam, Poulter was a member of the victorious squad in 2004, where he officially scored the winning points for his team.[8]This entitled him to take up membership of the PGA Tour in 2005, and he has divided his time between the two tours since then.[citation needed]

At the2008 Masters Tournament,Poulter made a hole-in-one at the 16th hole atAugusta Nationalin the first round. At the2008 Open Championship,Poulter had the clubhouse lead on the last round before being beaten by defending championPádraig Harrington.In the2008 Ryder Cup,Poulter was the highest points scorer on either side as he scored 4 of Europe's 11.5 points. Europe lost the Ryder Cup 16.5–11.5. In the 2009Players Championship,he finished in sole possession of second place at eight under-par, four shots behind the winner,Henrik Stenson.In November 2009, Poulter won theBarclays Singapore Openat the Sentosa Club.[9]He moved into the top-10 of theOfficial World Golf Rankingin January 2010 with a second-place finish at theAbu Dhabi Golf Championship.[10]

In February 2010, he won his first tournament on U.S. soil, beating fellow EnglishmanPaul Casey4&2 in the final of theWGC-Accenture Match Play ChampionshipinArizona.[11]The win moved him to 5th in the world rankings.[12]His ranking gained Poulter a place in the2010 Ryder Cupin September atCeltic Manorin Wales He won 3 points in the 4 matches he played in the European team's win by 14.5 points to 13.5. In November 2010, he won his second title of the year with a one-stroke victory in theUBS Hong Kong Open.[13]

Poulter at the 2013Open de France

On 23 February 2011, inMarana, Arizona,Poulter became the first defending champion in nine years to be eliminated in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. He did however enjoy greater success in the European Tour's own match play event, theVolvo World Match Play Championshipwhere he won the title beating Ryder Cup teammateLuke Donald,2&1, in the final. He had previously beaten the world number oneLee Westwood,Francesco MolinariandNicolas Colsaertsto get to the final. This was Poulter's second tournament win in a match play event and eleventh European Tour victory.[14]Poulter was one ofJosé María Olazábal's two "captains picks" for the European Team at the2012 Ryder Cup.He won all the 4 matches he played over the three days of the event, and was a key figure in sparking his team's victory by 14.5 points to 13.5.[15]

On 4 November 2012, Poulter won the secondWorld Golf Championshipof his career at theWGC-HSBC ChampionsinShenzhen,China, coming from four strokes back in the final round to win by two from four other players. He shot a final round of 65 which included 8 birdies in his first 15 holes to seize control and despite a late bogey, closed out the victory by two strokes. He became only the second European to have won multiple WGC events, afterDarren Clarke.The victory took Poulter to 15th in the rankings.[16]

At the 2015Honda Classicon thePGA Tour,Poulter had a three shot lead going into the final round of the rain delayed event. However he had a disastrous four-over-par final round of 74, where he found the water five times, included twice on the 14th hole which cost him a triple bogey. Poulter would finish in a tie for third, one shot outside of the playoff, which was won byPádraig Harrington.It was his first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour and he never would win a non-WGC PGA Tour event until 2018. In the same year, Poulter was in a predicament. He fell to 51st in the OWGR and was not exempt for theWGC-HSBC Champions,and had failed to enter theUBS Hong Kong Open.He was also at risk of losing his European Tour card since he had only played in 12 events, one short of membership and Ryder Cup eligibility. He only earned entry to the Hong Kong Open afterRich Beemgave up his sponsor exemption to allow Poulter to compete.[17]

In March 2016, Poulter held the 54-hole lead at thePuerto Rico Open,an alternate event on the PGA Tour. He led by one stroke entering the final round, but shot an even-par round which included just the one birdie, to finish in a tie for third, one stroke outside of the playoff. This was only the second time that Poulter had held a 54-hole lead in an event on the PGA Tour and he has yet to win one. The result was however his best on tour for over a year.

On 3 June 2016, Poulter was ruled out of the upcoming Ryder Cup after being sidelined for four months with a foot injury.[18]Only three days later, he was named by captainDarren Clarkeas one of his vice-captains for the match.[19]

Poulter at the2018 U.S. Open

Poulter started the 2016–17 season using a major medical extension. He initially failed to meet the terms, but his results and criteria were reevaluated, allowing Poulter to keep his Tour card for the remainder of the season.[20]The Golf Channel website also mentioned thatBrian Gay(who was also playing on a major medical extension) noted a discrepancy in the points distribution from the previous season. After recalculating, Gay and Poulter were also allowed entry into the2017 Players Championshipafter meeting theFedEx Cuprequirements.[21]Poulter went on to finish T2 at The Players, three shots behindKim Si-woo.

During the 2018WGC-Match Play,Poulter was informed by members of the media that his advancement to the quarterfinals would place him in the top-50 in the World Golf Rankings, ensuring his place in the Masters' field two weeks later. It was later determined that he would need to advance to the semifinals to crack the top-50, which he was unable to do, losing heavily toKevin Kisnerin the quarterfinals.[22]

The following week, Poulter won theHouston Open,claiming his third victory on the PGA Tour and first stroke play tournament win in the United States. Poulter won in a sudden-death playoff, after holing a lengthy birdie putt on the final green of regulation play to tieBeau Hossler.In the playoff, Poulter won with a par, after Hossler found the water and made a triple bogey. This was Poulter's first win in six years on any tour and also sealed his place in the Masters the following week as the final entrant.[22]He finished T44 at the event. Then playing his sixth week in a row, Poulter held the 54-hole lead at theRBC Heritage.He faded in the final round though, shooting a 75 and finishing T7.

In September 2018, Poulter was named as a captain's pick byThomas Bjørnfor the European team participating in the2018 Ryder Cup.Europe defeated the United States team by 17½ points to 10½ atLe Golf Nationaloutside of Paris, France. Poulter went 2–2–0 and won his singles match against then world number oneDustin Johnson.[23]In September 2021, Poulter was a captain's pick byPádraig Harringtonfor the European team in the2021 Ryder CupatWhistling StraitsinKohler, Wisconsin.The U.S. team won 19–9 and Poulter went 1–2–0 and won his Sunday singles match againstTony Finau.

Poulter was announced as a participant of the inauguralLIV Golf Invitational Seriestournament at theCenturion Clubnear London in June 2022, with his PGA Tour and European Tour memberships being suspended.[2]His fine and suspension on the European Tour were temporarily lifted in July, pending a court case set for February 2023. After those sanctions were upheld by the independent arbitrator, in May 2023, the European Tour announced that he had resigned his membership of the tour.[24]

Clothing

[edit]

Poulter is well known for his eccentric dress sense, inspired by his mother, who managed theLetchworthbranch of UK women's fashion chainDorothy Perkins.[5]His most famous pieces include trousers featuring the famousClaret Jug,worn at both the 2005 and 2006Open Championships.Commentating for theBBC,Seve Ballesterosjibed that this was "the closest [Poulter] would ever get to it".[citation needed]

In addition to his golfing career, Poulter launched Ian Poulter Design (IJP Design) in 2007.[25]

Personal life

[edit]

As a teen, Poulter attendedThe Barclay Schoolin Stevenage.

Poulter and his wife, Katie, have four children and live inLake Nona Golf & Country ClubinOrlando, Florida.[26]The couple also have a home inMilton Keynes,Buckinghamshire.[27]

Poulter appears in the sports documentary seriesFull Swing,which premiered on Netflix on 15 February 2023.[28]

Car collection

[edit]

The collection includes:[29]

Poulter's LaFerrari Aperta featured in a viral video posted to his Instagram account in which Poulter chips a golf ball through the windows of the car.[31]

Professional wins (17)

[edit]

PGA Tour wins (3)

[edit]
Legend
World Golf Championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 21 Feb2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 4 and 2 EnglandPaul Casey
2 4 Nov2012 WGC-HSBC Champions[a] 69-68-65-65=267 −21 2 strokes United StatesJason Dufner,South AfricaErnie Els,
United StatesPhil Mickelson,United StatesScott Piercy
3 1 Apr2018 Houston Open 73-64-65-67=269 −19 Playoff United StatesBeau Hossler

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2018 Houston Open United StatesBeau Hossler Won with par on first extra hole

European Tour wins (12)

[edit]
Legend
World Golf Championships (2)
Tour Championships (1)
Other European Tour (9)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 29 Oct2000 Italian Open 66-67-65-69=267 −21 1 stroke ScotlandGordon Brand Jnr
2 15 Apr2001 Moroccan Open 71-67-69-70=277 −15 2 strokes EnglandDavid Lynn
3 3 Nov2002 Italian Open Telecom Italia(2) 61-67-69=197* −19 2 strokes ScotlandPaul Lawrie
4 1 Jun2003 Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open 65-67-68-70=270 −18 3 strokes South AfricaDarren Fichardt,EnglandJonathan Lomas,
AustraliaJarrod Moseley
5 10 Aug 2003 Nordic Open 68-67-65-66=266 −22 1 stroke ScotlandColin Montgomerie
6 31 Oct2004 Volvo Masters Andalucía 71-67-69-70=277 −7 Playoff SpainSergio García
7 17 Sep2006 XXXII Banco Madrid Valle Romano
Open de Madrid Golf Masters 		67-66-64-69=266 −22 5 strokes SpainIgnacio Garrido
8 1 Nov2009 Barclays Singapore Open1 66-64-72-72=274 −10 1 stroke ChinaLiang Wenchong
9 21 Feb2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 4 and 2 EnglandPaul Casey
10 21 Nov 2010 UBS Hong Kong Open1 67-60-64-67=258 −22 1 stroke EnglandSimon Dyson,ItalyMatteo Manassero
11 22 May2011 Volvo World Match Play Championship 2 and 1 EnglandLuke Donald
12 4 Nov2012 WGC-HSBC Champions 69-68-65-65=267 −21 2 strokes United StatesJason Dufner,South AfricaErnie Els,
United StatesPhil Mickelson,United StatesScott Piercy

*Note: The 2002 Italian Open Telecom Italia was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
1Co-sanctioned by theAsian Tour

European Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2004 Volvo Masters Andalucía SpainSergio García Won with par on first extra hole
2 2010 Dubai World Championship SwedenRobert Karlsson Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)

[edit]
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner-up
1 18 Nov2007 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament 65-68-67-69=269 −11 3 strokes SpainGonzalo Fernández-Castaño

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

[edit]
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner-up
1 18 Dec2011 JBWere Masters 65-68-69-67=269 −15 3 strokes AustraliaMarcus Fraser

Challenge Tour wins (1)

[edit]
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runners-up
1 18 Apr1999 Open de Côte d'Ivoire 69-72-70-73=284 −4 2 strokes FranceSébastien Delagrange,WalesDavid Park,
FranceMarc Pendariès

Other wins (1)

[edit]
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 12 Dec 2010 Shark Shootout
(withUnited StatesDustin Johnson) 		63-64-59=186 −30 2 strokes Northern IrelandDarren ClarkeandNorthern IrelandGraeme McDowell

Results in major championships

[edit]

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament T31 T33 T13 T25 T20
U.S. Open CUT T57 T12 T36 WD T18
The Open Championship T64 T50 T46 T25 T11 CUT T27 2 CUT
PGA Championship CUT T61 T37 T47 T9 T23 T31 T19
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Masters Tournament T10 T27 7 CUT T20 T6 T49 T44
U.S. Open T47 CUT T41 T21 T17 T54 T25
The Open Championship T60 CUT T9 T3 CUT CUT T14 CUT
PGA Championship WD T39 T3 T61 T58 CUT T22 T31
Tournament 2019 2020 2021 2022
Masters Tournament T12 T25 T26
PGA Championship CUT T22 T30 CUT
U.S. Open CUT CUT T40
The Open Championship CUT NT T26 T62
Top 10
Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due toCOVID-19 pandemic

Summary

[edit]
Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 3 9 16 15
PGA Championship 0 0 1 1 2 6 20 15
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 0 5 16 11
The Open Championship 0 1 1 2 3 6 20 13
Totals 0 1 2 3 8 26 72 54
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2004 Open Championship – 2006 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2012 Open Championship – 2012 PGA)

Results in The Players Championship

[edit]
Tournament 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
The Players Championship T33 CUT T27 T28 T21 2
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The Players Championship CUT T57 T25 CUT T65 T30 T57 T2 T11 T56
Tournament 2020 2021 2022
The Players Championship C CUT T33
Top 10

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Cancelled after the first round due to theCOVID-19 pandemic

World Golf Championships

[edit]

Wins (2)

[edit]
Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner(s)-up
2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship n/a 4 and 2 EnglandPaul Casey
2012 WGC-HSBC Champions 4 shot deficit −21 (69-68-65-65=267) 2 strokes United StatesJason Dufner,South AfricaErnie Els,
United StatesPhil Mickelson,United StatesScott Piercy

Results timeline

[edit]

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Championship NT1 T44 T18 T2 T16 T57 T13 T37 T45 T60 T28 T52 T49 T3
Match Play QF 4 R64 R16 R32 R16 1 R64 R64 4 R64 T34 QF T17
Invitational T13 T33 T33 T13 T30 T16 T15 T65 T68 T29 T19 T52 T17 T10 8
Champions T45 T13 T13 1 2 T6 T30 21 WD
Tournament 2020 2021 2022
Championship
Match Play NT2 R16 T35
Invitational T69 T10
Champions NT2 NT2 NT2

1Cancelled due to9/11
2Cancelled due toCOVID-19pandemic

Win
Top 10
Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Note that the Championship and Invitational were discontinued from 2022.

Team appearances

[edit]
Ryder Cup points record
2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2021 Total
1 – 4 3 4 1 – 2 1 16

See also

[edit]

Notes

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  1. ^The2012 WGC-HSBC Championswas an unofficialPGA Tourevent, but wins were counted as official if the winner was a PGA Tour member; as Poulter was.

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Week 08 2010 Ending 21 Feb 2010"(pdf).OWGR.Retrieved20 December2018.
  2. ^ab"Woburn Golf Club – Ian Poulter".Archived fromthe originalon 8 June 2012.Retrieved4 June2012.
  3. ^"Golfer Ian Poulter goes back to Stevenage school".The Comet.23 July 2013.Retrieved30 September2018.
  4. ^"PGA Tour profile".PGA Tour. Archived fromthe originalon 9 February 2012.Retrieved15 July2009.
  5. ^ab"Ian Poulter: Dandy of the fairways aims to end British fashion for failure".The Independent.London. 13 July 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 5 December 2008.Retrieved15 July2009.
  6. ^"Poulter is a Leighton lad for life".Leighton Buzzard Observer.22 April 2013.
  7. ^"My Arsenal – Ian Talk about His Passion for the Game".1 August 2009.Retrieved7 April2010.
  8. ^Colin Montgomerieis widely credited as having holed the winning putt, although Ian Poulter birdied on the 15th hole of his match to guarantee a half-point and so mathematically win the Ryder Cup seconds before Montgomerie. This was commentated on by course commentators andBBC Radio 5 Live,whose Golf correspondentIan Coulterrecalled in theNews of the World:"My editor said Poulter was three up seconds before Monty hit his putt. Then Colin's putt went in – you can imagine the situation. To have over-ruled his achievement would have been like trying to deny Alan Shearer a goal that went in off a defender." "This man won us Ryder Cup – not Monty"News of the World(London); 26 September 2004; Geoff Sweet; p. 75. Frank Keating ofThe Guardianalso noted this chain of events, writing "radio logged the fact that it was not Montgomerie's putt which actually clinched the cup but Poulter's, a matter of seconds before and a few holes behind." "Golf, Cricket: Notes from the touchline"The Guardian(Manchester); 24 Sep 2004; Frank Keating; p. 34. Notwithstanding, Poulter was still in aDormieposition at this time (3 holes up with 3 to play) and players in this position can still be disqualified and thus lose their match. A similar situation took place2 years later.
  9. ^"Poulter secures Singapore title".BBC Sport.1 November 2009.Retrieved2 November2009.
  10. ^Martin Kaymer Climbs To World Number 6 With Win In Abu Dhabi And Bill Haas Wins The Bob Hope ClassicArchived23 February 2012 at theWayback Machine– Official World Golf Ranking, Week 4, 2010
  11. ^"Poulter defeats Casey to win World Match Play title".BBC Sport.21 January 2010.Retrieved22 February2010.
  12. ^Ian Poulter Wins The WGC-Accenture Match Play And Jumps To A Career High World Number FiveArchived23 February 2012 at theWayback Machine– Official World Golf Ranking, 2010, Week 8
  13. ^"Ian Poulter wins Hong Kong open by one stroke".BBC Sport.21 November 2010.Retrieved22 November2010.
  14. ^"Ian Poulter defeats Luke Donald for Volvo World Match Play win".PGA European Tour.22 May 2011.Retrieved23 May2011.
  15. ^"Ryder Cup 2012: Europe beat USA after record comeback".BBC Sport.1 October 2012.Retrieved1 October2012.
  16. ^"Poulter claims 2nd WGC win in China".BBC Sport.4 November 2012.Retrieved4 November2012.
  17. ^Ferguson, Doug (20 October 2015)."Rich Beem explains decision to step aside for Ian Poulter in Hong Kong".PGA of America. Associated Press.
  18. ^Inglis, Martin (3 June 2016)."Ian Poulter ruled out of 2016 Ryder Cup".bunkered.
  19. ^Inglis, Martin (6 June 2016)."Ian Poulter named Ryder Cup vice-captain".bunkered.
  20. ^Harig, Bob (1 May 2017)."Ian Pouter maintains tour status for season".ESPN.
  21. ^Christmas comes early for Gay and Poulter
  22. ^ab"Ian Poulter wins Houston Open on playoff, gets last spot in Masters".ESPN.Associated Press. 1 April 2018.Retrieved2 April2018.
  23. ^"Europe wins back Ryder Cup, beating US 17 1/2-10 1/2".The Hamilton Spectator.The Canadian Press. 30 September 2018.Retrieved29 October2018.[permanent dead link]
  24. ^Dempster, Martin (3 May 2023)."LIV Golf quartet, including Lee Westwood, resign as DP World Tour members".The Scotsman.Retrieved3 May2023.
  25. ^"Ian Poulter drives a profit with clothing firm IJP Design".The Telegraph.19 October 2012.Retrieved21 August2013.
  26. ^"Jeff Rude to check out his Orlando Florida home".Golf Week TV.Retrieved15 July2009.
  27. ^"Ian Poulter – Bio".PGA European Tour.
  28. ^"Tee Up for 'Full Swing,' the Golf Documentary Series That Drives Plenty of Drama".Netflix Tudum.Retrieved13 February2023.
  29. ^"ECR – Collection – Ian Poulter".Exclusive Car Registry.Retrieved30 July2022.
  30. ^"ECR – Ferrari 458 details".Exclusive Car Registry.Retrieved30 July2022.
  31. ^"Watch Golfer Ian Poulter Hit a Golf Ball Through His $2.2 Million LaFerrari Aperta".2 September 2020.
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