interview
In the space of twelve years, Ian Poulter has gone from earning HK$40 an hour as an assistant pro selling hot sausage rolls to the thirteenth best player in the world. As Alex Jenkins explains, there’s a lot more to the colourful Englishman than meets the eye.
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Joy Rider
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t’s the Monday of Hong Kong Open week and Ian Poulter is a happy man. We’ve just left the Omega flagship store in Causeway Bay where the 33-year-old Englishman sat through a rather inane press conference and photo op. Now free from fielding such questions from the local golf media as, “What’s your favorite colour, Ian?” and “Do you think you can win the Hong Kong Open?” (the answers, in case you’re wondering, were “pink” and “yes” respectively), Poulter, decked out in an allblack ensemble and silver Swarovski necktie, is admiring some wild and wonderful garb hanging in the window of Jean Paul Gaultier. “Blimey,” he says in that jovial Estuary English accent of his, “I could spend some money in this place.” This isn’t Poulter’s first trip to Hong Kong. At the 2004 Open he carded rounds of 70 and 76 to miss the cut by some margin. But much has changed over the past five years. Whereas before he was known as an outspoken clothes horse who could play a bit (all mouth and trousers, screamed the British tabloids), he’s now risen to the highest echelons of the sport. At number thirteen in the world rankings and with a win just two weeks before at the Barclays Singapore Open, Poulter is truly backing his showmanship with substance. “I’ve become much more consistent in recent years,” says the man who shot to global attention at the 2004 British Open by wearing a pair of Union Jack slacks in the first round at Royal Troon. “I’ve never been short of confidence, but I do believe that if I apply myself and concentrate properly, I can do anything. This is certainly the best form I have ever been in.” The records agree. Solid displays at this year’s Majors – the British Open was the only event where he finished outside the top twenty – and a runner-up finish to Henrik Stenson at the prestigious Players Championship in May were his highlights of 2009 prior to the win in Singapore. But it was at the British Open the year before where Poulter really made his move. A gutsy 69 on the final day at windswept Birkdale, which he calls his best ever round, moved him into championship contention, only for Padraig Harrington to play flawlessly down the stretch to edge him into second place. That gritty performance, however, was enough for Nick Faldo to somewhat controversially select him ahead of long-time campaigners Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie as one his two ‘wildcard’ picks for the European Ryder Cup team. To his enormous credit, Poulter put the selection hysteria behind him and played with a passion that his teammates could have done well to replicate. With four wins out of his five matches, he was the highest points scorer from either side.
Poulter: "The last twelve years have been a fun ride." 24
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2009 Singapore Open champion
The Poulter File Born: January 10, 1976 Place of birth: Hitchin, England Attachment: Woburn Golf & Country Club Residence: Orlando, Florida & Milton Keynes, England Turned Pro: 1994 (4 handicap) Family: Wife: Katie; Children: Aimee-Leigh (2002), Luke (2004), Lilly-Mai Grace (2009) European Tour wins: Italian Open (2000 and 2002), Moroccan Open (2001), Wales Open (2003), Nordic Open (2003), Volvo Masters (2004), Open de Madrid (2006), Singapore Open (2009). Favourite airline: British Airways. I’m a true patriot. Frequent flier programme: I’m with One World and Virgin’s FFP, but the funny thing is I’ve never spent a single mile. I’ve got over two million stashed away. Favourite hotel: The Fullerton in Singapore is as good a place as I’ve ever stayed. Magnificent rooms, excellent food and a really comfy bed. Favourite car: I’ve got seven, but I really like my Bentley GT. It’s both smart and casual. Favourite courses: Augusta National, Valderrama, Loch Lomond, the Old Course at St Andrews and Woburn. In Asia, I like the Serapong Course at Sentosa (Singapore), the Olazabal Course at Mission Hills (China), and the Phoenix Golf Resort and the Gotemba Course at Taiheyo Club, site of the 2001 World Cup (both Japan).
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To the manor born: "I always speak my mind," says Poulter. 26
“It was devastating to lose [the Ryder Cup],” says Poulter, as we clamber into the back of a cab for the drive to his hotel. “But on a personal note it was good to turn the controversy on its head. I went through a lot that week – as did Nick – and I had a lot to prove. But I used it to make me a better golfer.” Having to prove himself to others is nothing new for the Orlando-based Poulter, who along with the likes of Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey, successfully plies his trade on both sides of the Atlantic. Unlike his peers, however, Poulter’s route to golf ing glory was anything but conventional. Born to working-class parents in Hitchin, a market town to the northwest of London, Poulter started playing golf after following his Dad around a local public course. Sharing a set of second-hand clubs with his brother, Danny, Poulter took to the game quickly, and by 1991, at the age of 15, he had left school and was working in the pro shop of a club near Stevenage. While the likes of Luke Donald and David Howell, Poulter’s contemporaries, were competing on the British amateur circuit, Poulter was re-gripping members’ clubs and vacuuming the pro shop floor – all for the princely sum of £3.20 (HK$40) an hour. On his days off he’d help out on a friend’s market
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stall, flogging £10 shell-suits and discount jeans, to earn a bit of extra cash. Today, he has his own clothing company – IJP Design (www. ianpoulterdesign.com) –in which he invested over US$1 million of his own money in start-up and production costs. Whichever way you look at it, it’s been quite the turnaround. “I didn’t have the chance to play full-time amateur golf like some of the other kids because my parents couldn’t afford it,” he says. Wanting to turn professional, Poulter enrolled into the British PGA’s training programme – but only after taking a cheeky initiative. “To turn pro I needed a handicap of four, but I never really had a handicap, because I never really played any amateur golf,” he remembers with a laugh. “But it wasn’t too much of a problem because I was in charge of handicapping at my club, so I just made it up. I put down “four” and sent it in. I might get in trouble for saying that but it’s a bit late now.” Changing clubs, but still working as a professional’s assistant, Poulter played in a series of low-key regional events, such as the Mizuno Assistants’ Championship (which he won) before making it onto the Challenge Tour, the European Tour’s developmental circuit. “The past ten years have been a very fun journey. It’s all a bit surreal to be honest,” says Poulter, as HKGOLFER.COM
if only just now realizing what he’s achieved. “I was working in a pro shop for seven years – serving up hot sausage rolls and that kind of thing – and now I’m ranked the thirteenth best player in the world. Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun.” Poulter’s first professional win – at the exotic Open de Côte d'Ivoire in 1999 – also falls into the “fun” category. “My caddie was the spitting image of Bob Marley,” laughs Poulter, who shared a room for most of the Challenge Tour season with best friend Justin Rose. “He had the same dreadlocks and the same voice. We sang Bob Marley songs together the whole way around. But he was a brilliant caddie. He read the greens and I only had 102 putts for the whole week, which is the lowest I’ve ever had. I gave him ten per cent of my winnings, which is a lot of money in the Ivory Coast, and he was really appreciative. It was a great time and playing and winning in Africa got me excited. I wanted to play more and more around the world.” Graduating to the European Tour after successfully emerging from the rigours of qualifying school the next year, Poulter found almost instant success by winning the 2000 Italian Open, a result which helped earn him the coveted Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. But despite five more victories over the next four years – including the prestigious season-ending Volvo Masters in 2004, where he beat Sergio Garcia in a sudden death playoff – the 6ft 1in Poulter was making more headlines as a result of his comments and on-course behaviour than he was for his form. “I always speak my mind,” says Poulter, suddenly serious. “I’m always going to say it how it is. It might not always be PC [politically correct], but I don’t agree with being PC just for the sake of it. I’d rather be honest.” One example of this honesty came eighteen months ago when he told a British golf magazine: “The trouble is I don’t rate anyone
else. Don’t get me wrong, I really respect every professional golfer, but I know I haven’t played to my full potential and when that happens, it will be just me and Tiger.” In the ensuing aftermath, Poulter was widely berated by the media, who accused him of supreme arrogance and, well, being a bit of an egotistical prat. But while the Hertfordshire native certainly wouldn’t win any awards for modesty, there’s a lot more to him than the brash peacock he’s made out to be. Over the course of the interview, Poulter was humorous, polite, thoughtful and even sensitive. I wasn’t sure what to expect prior to our meeting but he was thoroughly engaging – and no more so than when the chat moved on to his involvement with Dreamflight, a UK-based charity whose purpose is to take seriously ill and disabled children on a ‘Holiday of a Lifetime’ to the theme parks of central Florida. Poulter, who has three children of his own, is one of the charity’s largest donators and plays an active role by greeting the 300 children off the plane and joining them for their days out at Disney World and Universal Studios. “It’s an incredible thing,” says Poulter, “and it’s very emotional. The charity does a brilliant job in giving the kids a great holiday, and they’re really great kids. But at the back of your mind you know that because of their illnesses you might not see them again the next year.” He pauses for a few moments, seemingly uncertain about how to continue. “But from the moment I heard about what Dreamflight was all about I wanted to be involved. I find it hard doing interviews about it without getting emotional, to be honest, but it’s really important that more and more people read and understand more about the charity. They enable a lot of deserving kids to have a lot of fun. At the end of the day, that’s what life should be all about.” Poulter, one thinks, appreciates this more than most.
Ian’s Bag Driver: Cobra ZL (9.5º) with Fujikura 6.0 Motore Speeder X flex shaft Fairway woods: Titleist 909F2 (13.5º, 18º) with Fujikura Rombax 7X07 and Grafalloy Prolite 35X shafts. Hybrid: Titleist 909H (19º) with Aldila NV Hybrid 85 X Irons: Cobra Pro CB (4-7) with Dynamic Gold X100 Irons: Cobra Pro MB (8-PW) with Dynamic Gold X100 Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design (54º, 60º) Putter: Odyssey Tri Hot #3 Ball: Titleist Pro V1x On the new groove rule for 2010: It’s definitely going to make a difference. That maybe an advantage for me, but the timing was bad. It’s costing the manufacturers a lot to get all the products out – and this comes at a time when the companies are laying people off. The timing just wasn’t right.
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