Despite the immense experience and winning mentality Ian Poulter possesses when it comes to the Ryder Cup, the Brit was left out of Team Europe’s set-up for a second consecutive tournament
Ian Poulter made the trip to California to support his son, Luke, who is competing in the Walker Cup(Image: R&A via Getty Images)
Ian Poulter may have been snubbed from the Ryder Cup the golfing icon isn’t letting that interfere with his bid to help his son prepare for the Walker Cup.
The 49-year-old is as experienced as any when it comes to the biennial competition, having represented Team Europe on seven different occasions. Poulter’s finished on the winning side a whopping five of those times and possesses an impressive record of 15-8-2 in the tournament.
The LIV Golf star also remains unbeaten in singles with a record of 6-0-1 across the 17-year span he played in the Ryder Cup. But despite his remarkable performances, it didn’t stop captain Luke Donald from electing to snub Poulter from his playing squad with the competition set to commence later this month. Poulter is also not among Donald’s vice captains.
His omission marks the second consecutive time he’s been absent from the Cup. While his absence must be disheartening, given he once said: “If you cut me in half, it bleeds Ryder Cup”, he hasn’t stopped it from performing his fatherly duties with his 21-year-old son, Luke.
The University of Florida student is set to compete at the 50th edition of the team competition on Saturday as part of Great Britain & Ireland.
He’s enjoyed the presence of his father, who’s been spotted talking with him on the fairway and watching him practice.
Speaking about having him in attendance, Luke admitted his father’s intense knowledge of the Ryder Cup could come in handy when receiving advice about the Walker Cup.
“He’s coming out this week, so I think it will be pretty cool for him to give us some insight and help us on our way,” he said.
Ian Poulter is a bonafide Ryder Cup legend(Image: Getty Images)
“He never played a Walker Cup, but he obviously has Ryder Cup knowledge, which is pretty similar to this. It’s amazing to see (what he has achieved in Ryder Cups) – it kind of gives me inspiration to try and follow in his footsteps.”
When asked if his dad has already given him words of wisdom on how to take on Team USA, he answered: “We talk about it a bit… but there’s not much to it. It’s just kind of play your own game really, that’s about it.
“I’m sure we’ll chat about it this week a little bit more and he’ll maybe give some advice to the team.“I’ve got my mum, my dad, my brother and my grandad flying over, plus my agent, my coaches – I’ve got a few people coming so it’s going to be a great week.”
The Brit is keeping a keen eye on his son Luke as he prepares to compete in the Walker Cup(Image: R&A via Getty Images)
Poulter Sr.’s love of the Ryder Cup is well-known, and it was 2021 when he explained how his first taste of the competition changed his life.
“I played football [soccer] as a kid. I loved being part of a team all the way back then,” he said. “That didn’t happen for me, so I turned to golf.
“Right from 2004, to put that shirt over my head really kind of changed my life from a golfer’s perspective. I’ve made more friends, closer friends at the Ryder Cup than I have in all of the years that I’ve ever been playing an individual game of golf.”
