MEMPHIS – Ian Poulter has a lot going for him in this week’s World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
First, TPC Southwind features just two par 5s.
“I’m not the longest person in the field, so these guys have an advantage if they’ve got four par 5s, so if you take two of those away and the other par 5s I can reach, then I kind of like that golf course,” he said.
Second, as one of the game’s best putters, he’s taken to the slick, smallish greens.
Third, two of his 17 worldwide wins have come in WGC events – the 2010 Accenture Match Play Championship and the 2012 HSBC Champions – and he has finished runner-up in two others, third in another and fourth in yet another.
“All in all,” he said, “I’m playing some good golf and I feel kind of a little bit recharged and ready to go.”
He’s going all right. Poulter signed for a 4-under-par 66 Friday to move to 10 under through 36 holes and three shots out of the lead set by Harris English.
“Putting the ball in play, having lots of looks, taking a few chances, getting up and down on a couple holes just when I needed to, so pretty much the overall game was pretty good,” he said. “It’s a tricky course if you get it offline and I didn’t really do that today. I gave myself opportunities and I managed to take a few.”
And did we mention it’s a Ryder Cup year?
Poulter has played in six editions of the Ryder Cup for Team Europe, victorious in 2004, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018. His passion for the biennial tussle with Team USA is well noted. Simply, he was born to play in the Ryder Cup.
That’s why he’s going to go all out to get on this year’s squad for the titanic meeting of the two continents at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin Sept. 24-26.
Poulter is currently outside of the top nine players in the standings who will automatically make the team, but Europe captain Padraig Harrington has three discretionary picks.
“Yeah, it’s on my mind,” said Poulter, who is 14-6-2 in the Ryder Cup, including 5-2 in singles. “Theoretically I’ve got two tournaments left this side of the pond, so I need to move up on the points list to obviously further my position in the FedExCup. I’ve got obviously the first event in New York (The Northern Trust) and obviously then to be top 70 to grab hold of the second one (BMW Championship). Playing well this week would take care of that.
“If I can keep swimming my way through, great. There’s obviously Wentworth in a few weeks’ time as well, which is obviously when the (team gets finalized) and obviously Paddy has his picks. For me it’s about playing hard and obviously trying to push my way in.”
Poulter, who is 88th in the FedEx Cup standings, would like to push down the door and make the team as one of the nine automatic picks instead of letting Harrington open the door with a captain’s pick.
“I would love not to be a pick, and obviously right now it’s in my hands and I would like to somehow take it out of his hands and obviously play my way in the team,” Poulter said. “I know if I play great this week and play great at Liberty National (in the Northern Trust), I can somehow keep accruing points.
“I need to do that to help him out.”
If he doesn’t make the top 9, he certainly is among the small handful of players Harrington will choose from for his three players to fill out the team.
But right now, Poulter’s concentration is geared toward TPC Southwind.
“I’m looking forward to a nice Coke Zero right now because I’m hot,” he said after the round. “I’m just looking forward to playing some nice golf. I just got to keep doing what I’m doing. I feel my game’s been in shape for quite some time, I’ve been on a decent run of form and I just want to help Paddy out, I want to make that team, I really want to be a part of this Ryder Cup team.
“Just keep playing some nice golf and everything takes care of itself.”
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