Ian Poulter

Ian James Poulter (born 10 January 1976) is an English professional golfer who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. 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 two World Golf Championship wins at the 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the 2012 WGC-HSBC Champions. He is the touring professional for Woburn Golf and Country Club.[2]

Ian Poulter
Personal information
Full nameIan James Poulter
NicknameThe Postman
Born (1976-01-10) 10 January 1976
Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, UK
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight189 lb (86 kg; 13.5 st)
Nationality England
ResidenceOrlando, Florida, U.S.
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Career
Turned professional1995
Current tour(s)PGA Tour (joined 2005)
European Tour (joined 2000)
Professional wins17
Highest ranking5 (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 Poulter at the 2009 Telus World Skins Game, Lévis, Canada

Early career

Born in Hitchin, and raised in Stevenage,[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 a professional golfer.[4] Unable to get a place as a pro at a private 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]

Professional career

Poulter turned professional in 1996 gaining his first win at the 1999 Open de Côte d'Ivoire on the European Tour's second tier Challenge Tour. He won promotion to the European Tour itself via the qualifying school later that year.

In his first season, he claimed the Italian Open title and was the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year for 2000. Further wins followed in each of the next four seasons, most prestigiously the season ending "tour championship" the Volvo Masters in 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 European Ryder Cup team, Poulter was a member of the victorious squad in 2004, where he officially scored the winning points for his team.[7] 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.

At the 2008 Masters Tournament, Poulter made a hole-in-one at the 16th hole at Augusta National in the first round. At the 2008 Open Championship, Poulter had the clubhouse lead on the last round before being beaten by defending champion Pádraig Harrington. In the 2008 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 2009 Players 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 the Barclays Singapore Open at the Sentosa Club.[8] He moved into the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking in January 2010 with a second-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.[9]

In February 2010, he won his first tournament on U.S. soil, beating fellow Englishman Paul Casey 4&2 in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona.[10] The win moved him to 5th in the world rankings.[11] His ranking gained Poulter a place in the 2010 Ryder Cup in September at Celtic Manor in 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 the UBS Hong Kong Open.[12]

Poulter at the 2013 Open de France

On 23 February 2011, in Marana, 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, the Volvo World Match Play Championship where he won the title beating Ryder Cup teammate Luke Donald, 2&1, in the final. He had previously beaten the world number one Lee Westwood, Francesco Molinari and Nicolas Colsaerts to get to the final. This was Poulter's second tournament win in a match play event and eleventh European Tour victory.[13]

Poulter was one of José María Olazábal's two "captains picks" for the European Team at the 2012 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.[14]

On 4 November 2012, Poulter won the second World Golf Championship of his career at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shenzhen, 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, after Darren Clarke. The victory took Poulter to 15th in the rankings.[15]

At the 2015 Honda Classic on the PGA 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 by Pádraig 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 the WGC-HSBC Champions, and had failed to enter the UBS 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 after Rich Beem gave up his sponsor exemption to allow Poulter to compete.[16]

In March 2016, Poulter held the 54-hole lead at the Puerto 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.[17] Only three days later, he was named by captain Darren Clarke as one of his vice-captains for the match.[18]

Poulter at the 2018 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.[19] The Golf Channel website also mentioned that Brian 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 the 2017 Players Championship after meeting the FedEx Cup requirements.[20] Poulter went on to finish T2 at The Players, three shots behind Kim Si-woo.

During the 2018 WGC-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 to Kevin Kisner in the quarterfinals.[21]

The following week, Poulter won the Houston 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 tie Beau 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.[21] He finished T44 at the event. Then playing his sixth week in a row, Poulter held the 54-hole lead at the RBC 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 by Thomas Bjørn for the European team participating in the 2018 Ryder Cup. Europe defeated the United States team by 17½ points to 10½ at Le Golf National outside of Paris, France. Poulter went 2–2–0 and won his singles match against then world number one Dustin Johnson.[22]

Clothing

Poulter is well known for his eccentric dress sense, inspired by his mother, who managed the Letchworth branch of UK women's fashion chain Dorothy Perkins.[5] His most famous pieces include trousers featuring the famous Claret Jug, worn at both the 2005 and 2006 Open Championships. Commentating for the BBC, Seve Ballesteros jibed that this was "the closest [Poulter] would ever get to it".

He is an avid fan of football club Arsenal.[23] He has on several occasions appeared with the team's crest on his shoes, and he even controversially wore the team's shirt during an event, gaining widespread ire for flying in the face of golfing tradition (immediately after the event the rule was changed to stop future players wearing football jerseys). In addition to his golfing career, Poulter launched Ian Poulter Design (IJP Design) in 2007.[24]

Personal life

Poulter is married to his wife Katie Poulter; the couple have four children and live in Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida.[25] The couple also has a home in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.[26]

Sponsorships

Poulter currently has endorsements with the following companies: Coolsculpting, IJP Design, Aurae Lifestyle, Titleist, Nikon, EA Sports, MasterCard, Oakley, Fathead, DP World, Audemars Piguet, and Marquis Jet.[27]

Professional wins (17)

PGA Tour wins (3)
Legend
World Golf Championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 21 Feb 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 4 & 2 Paul Casey
2 4 Nov 2012 WGC-HSBC Champions[lower-alpha 1] 69-68-65-65=267 −21 2 strokes Jason Dufner, Ernie Els,
Phil Mickelson, Scott Piercy
3 1 Apr 2018 Houston Open 73-64-65-67=269 −19 Playoff Beau Hossler
  1. The 2012 WGC-HSBC Champions was an unofficial PGA Tour event, but wins were counted as official if the winner was a PGA Tour member; as Poulter was.

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2018 Houston Open Beau Hossler Won with par on first extra hole

European Tour wins (12)
Legend
World Golf Championships (2)
Other European Tour (10)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 29 Oct 2000 Italian Open 66-67-65-69=267 −21 1 stroke Gordon Brand Jnr
2 15 Apr 2001 Moroccan Open 71-67-69-70=277 −15 2 strokes David Lynn
3 3 Nov 2002 Italian Open Telecom Italia (2) 61-67-69=197* −19 2 strokes Paul Lawrie
4 1 Jun 2003 Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open 65-67-68-70=270 −18 3 strokes Darren Fichardt, Jonathan Lomas,
Jarrod Moseley
5 10 Aug 2003 Nordic Open 68-67-65-66=266 −22 1 stroke Colin Montgomerie
6 31 Oct 2004 Volvo Masters Andalucía 71-67-69-70=277 −7 Playoff Sergio García
7 17 Sep 2006 XXXII Banco Madrid Valle Romano
Open de Madrid Golf Masters		 67-66-64-69=266 −22 5 strokes Ignacio Garrido
8 1 Nov 2009 Barclays Singapore Open1 66-64-72-72=274 −10 1 stroke Liang Wenchong
9 21 Feb 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 4 & 2 Paul Casey
10 21 Nov 2010 UBS Hong Kong Open1 67-60-64-67=258 −22 1 stroke Simon Dyson, Matteo Manassero
11 22 May 2011 Volvo World Match Play Championship 2 & 1 Luke Donald
12 4 Nov 2012 WGC-HSBC Champions 69-68-65-65=267 −21 2 strokes Jason Dufner, Ernie Els,
Phil Mickelson, Scott Piercy

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

European Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2004 Volvo Masters Andalucía Sergio García Won with par on first extra hole
2 2010 Dubai World Championship Robert Karlsson Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 18 Nov 2007 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament 65-68-67-69=269 −11 3 strokes Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 18 Dec 2011 JBWere Masters 65-68-69-67=269 −15 3 strokes Marcus Fraser

Challenge Tour wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 18 Apr 1999 Open de Côte d'Ivoire 69-72-70-73=284 −4 2 strokes Sébastien Delagrange, David Park,
Marc Pendaries

Other wins (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1 12 Dec 2010 Shark Shootout
(with Dustin Johnson)		 63-64-59=186 −30 2 strokes Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell

Results in major championships

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
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
Tournament201020112012201320142015201620172018
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 20192020
Masters Tournament T12 T25
PGA Championship CUT T22
U.S. Open CUT CUT
The Open Championship CUT NT
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament0000391514
PGA Championship0011261814
U.S. Open0000051510
The Open Championship0112361811
Totals01238266649
  • 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
Tournament 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The Players Championship T33 CUT T27 T28 T21 2 CUT T57 T25 CUT T65 T30 T57 T2 T11 T56
  Top 10

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

World Golf Championships

Wins (2)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship n/a 4 & 2 Paul Casey
2012 WGC-HSBC Champions 4 shot deficit −21 (69-68-65-65=267) 2 strokes Jason Dufner, Ernie Els,
Phil Mickelson, Scott Piercy

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

Tournament2001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
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
Tournament2020
Championship
Match Play NT2
Invitational T69
Champions NT2

1Cancelled due to 9/11
2Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

  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.

Team appearances
Ryder Cup points record
20042006200820102012201420162018Total
1–4341–215

See also

References
  1. "Week 08 2010 Ending 21 Feb 2010" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. "Woburn Golf Club – Ian Poulter". Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  3. "Golfer Ian Poulter goes back to Stevenage school". The Comet. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  4. "PGA Tour profile". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  5. "Ian Poulter: Dandy of the fairways aims to end British fashion for failure". The Independent. London. 13 July 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  6. "Poulter is a Leighton lad for life". Leighton Buzzard Observer. 22 April 2013.
  7. Colin Montgomerie is 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 and BBC Radio 5 Live, whose Golf correspondent Ian Coulter recalled in the News 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 of The Guardian also 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 a Dormie position 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 place 2 years later.
  8. "Poulter secures Singapore title". BBC Sport. 1 November 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  9. Martin Kaymer Climbs To World Number 6 With Win In Abu Dhabi And Bill Haas Wins The Bob Hope Classic Archived 23 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Official World Golf Ranking, Week 4, 2010
  10. "Poulter defeats Casey to win World Match Play title". BBC Sport. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  11. Ian Poulter Wins The WGC-Accenture Match Play And Jumps To A Career High World Number Five Archived 23 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Official World Golf Ranking, 2010, Week 8
  12. "Ian Poulter wins Hong Kong open by one stroke". BBC Sport. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  13. "Ian Poulter defeats Luke Donald for Volvo World Match Play win". PGA European Tour. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  14. "Ryder Cup 2012: Europe beat USA after record comeback". BBC Sport. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  15. "Poulter claims 2nd WGC win in China". BBC Sport. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  16. Ferguson, Doug (20 October 2015). "Rich Beem explains decision to step aside for Ian Poulter in Hong Kong". PGA of America. Associated Press.
  17. Inglis, Martin (3 June 2016). "Ian Poulter ruled out of 2016 Ryder Cup". bunkered.
  18. Inglis, Martin (6 June 2016). "Ian Poulter named Ryder Cup vice-captain". bunkered.
  19. Harig, Bob (1 May 2017). "Ian Pouter maintains tour status for season". ESPN.
  20. Christmas comes early for Gay and Poulter
  21. "Ian Poulter wins Houston Open on playoff, gets last spot in Masters". ESPN. Associated Press. 1 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  22. "Europe wins back Ryder Cup, beating US 17 1/2-10 1/2". The Hamilton Spectator. The Canadian Press. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  23. "My Arsenal – Ian Talk about His Passion for the Game". 1 August 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  24. "Ian Poulter drives a profit with clothing firm IJP Design". The Telegraph. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  25. "Jeff Rude to check out his Orlando Florida home". Golf Week TV. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  26. "Ian Poulter – Bio". PGA European Tour.
  27. "Icon Sports Management profile". Iconsportsinc.com. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
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