Ian Poulter was going to play in the Singapore Open (13-16th November 2008) but pulled out. And this is the unbelievable reason why.
Ian was playing in the HSBC Champions Tournament in Shanghai which ended on Monday and his driver was stolen. Apparently he wouldn’t have received a replacement driver until Friday. This is what Ian Poulter said about this…
“I am really gutted,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I have been thinking about it for four hours and I have decided to withdraw because my new driver will not arrive on time.
“It is disappointing because I did not come all this way not to play. But with so many world ranking points at stake, if I played badly (by using a different driver) I may have lost ground.”
I have a couple of things to say about this.
First, I can’t believe that Ian Poulter couldn’t have got a driver made up that was very close, if not identical to the driver stolen. All the top golfers have the specs of their clubs documented.
Second, I also can’t believe Ian Poulter had the attitude that he might have played badly with a different driver.
He may have played better!!!
Last time I checked he wasn’t the best golfer in the world! And as far as I know Ian Poulter is NOT the best driver in the world. In fact, just looking now on the PGA Tour stats for 2008 he is 187th in total driving!
So this could have been a blessing in disguise for Ian Poulter NOT a negative OR a reasons to pull out of a tournament. And I think you may have found a better golfer by the name of Tiger Woods not taking the same attitude.
Can’t believe it Ian Poulter.
Tags: Ian Poulter
November 13th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
You’re right Nick! What a joke. Tiger would never have that attitude. He’d play with anything and do anything to win.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
If I were 187th, I’d think about using my 3W off the tee a little more.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
If he felt that way he should have used his 3-Wood in place of his driver. I can’t believe a professional golfer would use that excuse.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Wow. Didn’t Poulter challenge Tiger and say he could be the best in the world??? Suck it up and play with a 3-wood then.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
me thinks Ian had a hairdresser appointment. lol
November 13th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
This is not a legitimate reason from a world-class golfer. There has to be something else going on. And if his equipment company cannot get him a driver duplicate anywhere in the world in 24 hours, he needs to sign with someone else. Spoiled, silly, stupid.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Poor old Ian Poulter…not!!! Suck it up Ian and play like a man.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Bad decision making if you ask me…….Not to mention, a lack of confidence. You’ve got to emphravise, adapt, and overcome !!!!!
November 13th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Wow, this is unbelievable. To have heard him say last year that he wants to be the Number 1 player in the world, not with that attitude.
My friends and I have played tournaments under worse situations then this. Perhaps he should have a chat with Compton (player who had triple heart transplants) about perseverance.
Suck it up.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Maybe he wants to fly home to England to go and watch Arsenal play. I might do the same also! Why not?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Is the course so long that a 3 wood could not be used. By not playing he gets no points! No matter where he finishes he would recieve points. Attitude yes!! Winners attitude no.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I’m a better than average player, I guess (4 handicap) but I have never played in a tournament other than local club championships and such…and I AM competitive. I would, if not KILL to play in a tournament, at least severely maim someone in order toi! This is the LAMEST excuse for not playing I’ve ever heard! This is RIDICULOUS…the guy has a gift that has enabled him to not have to work for a living the way the rest of us do except at playing golf…a pastime the rest of us pay dearly for the privilege of doing…
Kick his ass off the tour and let him go pump gas, be an actuarial accountant or drive a bread truck for a living…then offer him a chance to show up and play golf. See how quickly his attitude gets changed. The guy’s a JOKE…
A SICK joke!!!
November 13th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Mr. Woods played the US Open with a torn ACL. He was visibly wounded and kept playing. Cannot believe some “professional” golfer withdraws from a tournament based on a piece of equipment.
However, I’ve seen lame excuses for not “ranking down” or being banned for the rest of the season.
Don’t wanna play? just say it man…
November 13th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Ian Poulter is a very talented and gutsy golfer, look at his showing in The Open and the Ryder Cup. Get off his back – you lot sound like a load of old women running down the neighbours. Say something positive for f***s sake.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Exactly Peter. He is a very talented and gutsy golfer. Withdrawing because “my driver didn’t arrive on time” is the farthest from gutsy.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
From the looks of the pic of Ian….he lost more than his driver!
November 13th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Never rated Poulter anyway. Always behaved as if he was bigger than the game. Mind you anyone who had to arrange and colour his hair that way is bound to be an asshole.
Ray
November 13th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Come on lads,give the boy a chance,maybe he’s just having a bad hair day.:)
November 13th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Peter is right….Ian must be gutsy to pull out coz he wasn’t going to get HIS driver. Wonder if he still got his turning up money?? I hope not!! These guys have to realize that some people DO have to work to make a living and it’s not all about them. Ian Poulter is like a little kid having a tantrum coz he’s not getting his own way. Grow up Ian!!
November 13th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Ian needs a big lesson on “commitment” and in a hurry!!!!
November 13th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Ian would need to grow up and smell the coffee,always thought he was arrogant but he appears to be stupid as well.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
if I did not have a driver I would still play with only my Irons, what a wimp!!
November 13th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Maybe, just maybe, he’s got a contract with a manufacturer. What if he picked one up in the pro shop and shot the lights out ? What’s a contract worth ?
November 13th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Dam,
I just bet £500 quid on him to win too….
November 13th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Sounds like an excuse to me to be somewhere else. If he wants those points he would have used his three wood or at least got something close to what was stolen. It is him who will look like a fool when he next turns up at a tournament.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
The hairdo says it all!!!!
November 13th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Ian, Just be a man and say you don’t think you’re playing well enough to make any progress this week and people will love you. If you don’t then people will say ” there goes another spoiled athlete”.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
One word ‘weak’
November 13th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
I agree with most of the above. What I remember most about him is his mouth and how he was going to take Tiger woods and be number 1.
Well like all the rest of his mouth he hasn’t done that yet has he?
He doesn’t rank very high now I am sure this is really going to help.
Most of these guys are just a bunch of cry babies and if they don’t get their way then the world’s all wrong. SUCK IT UP!!!!!
November 13th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Perhaps he was premature in pulling out, had he waited one more day, buddy, may have sent it back because he couldn’t use it either.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Tiger Woods broke his 4 iron at the Masters as he could hit a shot on the 11th hole.
He did not walk off the course… saying “I can’t play golf without my 4 iron!!” Common Ian, stop being a baby… maybe with a new driver you can do better than 187th!! I mean can you get any worse?
November 13th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
PONCE!
November 13th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I think Phil Mickleson played a tournament without his driver, O, that was just the little U.S. Open. Heck probably has 10 new drivers in his locker at home. Ryder Cup hero or not. He’s a wuss in my book. Anyone of us would love to have the ability to play that well even if we did not have our old faithful in the bag. Time to grow up, I think Bob Kinlaw said it best “the hairdo says it all”.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Thats a joke. i looked up to him aswell… i thought he and all the tour pros could go round in maybe 4 over using a hickery! uve let us down poults… you can borrow my driver
taylormade tp burner i dont have any problems with it so why should what i thought was a leading tour professional? this shocks me and thanks nick.
adam
November 13th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
At the risk of sounding like a therapist (which I am), let’s put this in a different perspective. Poulter wants to climb the World Rankings. He is not looking for Fed-Ex Points or anything else like that. If he played and missed the cut, his ranking would go down. Now maybe, he is no Tiger Woods (does that include having galleries to redirect poor shots onto the green?), but he is trying to achieve the goals he set for himself. If memory serves, wasn’t Kenny Perry just given kudos for skipping majors so as not to hurt his Ryder Cup chances? C’mon, we can’t have it both ways…
November 13th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
In respect to Harold Thompson comments I have to say Harold, that is a strange way to look at the situation. It is a very negative mindset to say he would have played badly with another driver. As others have pointed out, Phil has played without a driver in a Major of all things. Ian may have played and scored better without a driver looking at his stats. I personally think this shows a poor attitude that will prevent Mr Poulter from progressing much further in the world of golf.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
What it all boils down to is that sometimes, against all odds, a MAN just has to press on regardless in order to show he’s got a pair!
Or perhaps they were stolen too!
November 13th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
A case of premature evacuation.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
The stolen driver may be an excuse, but it’s not a good reason.
I suppose this may be Ian’s way to protest the lack of security, but I don’t think his hosts will care much that he’ll be a no-show.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
What an idiot !. Unless there is another good reason ?.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Poor decision taken by Ian. He failed in damage-control. To win 12 to 13 clubs are enough.He was required to use one club higher for all approach shots.Tiger would never have done that Ian. Sorry it is a POOR decison. Never late to amend yourself. Good Luck……Bye…..Kharb K R.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Glad I don’t have Poults in any of my various Fantasy Golf teams…
Next it will be him wanting a spot on the LPGA tour next year….
November 14th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Harold, I can understand your point of view. I really don’t think that is the issue here. If Ian had just come out and said I don’t want to play, some of us would have understood but to withdraw because your driver was stolen… that has not gone down well (see all the responses above).
There have been many times when a pro has lost his putter or his putting stroke and he has made do with another one and in many cases has putted well, but has not withdrawn because of it.
Enough said, Ian, my friend you suck and are a big baby. Go back to momma and sulk.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Male version of Michelle Wie !!!
November 14th, 2008 at 12:24 am
How many young golfers would love to play in the PGA and be a pro. Yet, here is a pro who wimps out because he doesn’t have “his” driver.
Maybe he should concentrate on golf instead of having his hair tinted and all that crap.
Ray has said it all: “you suck and are a big baby. Go back to momma and sulk.”
November 14th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Either he had another reason for dropping out that he didn’t want to mention, or else he is a very weak individual for thinking that only one specific driver can work (and based on his stats, not that well).
Either way, this guy lacks the discipline to be anything more than an occassional flash in the pan.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Shame on you Ian, how disappointing.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:25 am
What a load of cocky droppings! He’d use a driver 14 times a round (x 4 rounds = 56). So if he shoots 270, only 56 of those shots would be tee shots where he used his driver (21%). LESS anytime he deemed a driver un-safe and went with a 3 wood or long iron. Sounds like someone wants a nice tropical holiday at the end of a hectic season.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:34 am
There has to be more to it than a missing driver. We all know how important the mental aspect of the game is. Maybe this was just the event that put him over the top, so to speak.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:48 am
What a lamb excuse!!! Definitely a BAD example for the game. Needlesss to say be a role model.
Look at Tiger, He won Majors playing without using a driver. Even much stronger, when his physical condition is not fit, he still carry on but not blaming on situation and continue on to win… This is the type of mentality we want to see in this game of golf.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:22 am
Face it guys .. Professional Golf is a high wire act with no net. Poulter lost his nerve for a momment and panicked, unfortunately, it was in public and all the damage came from his own mouth. I’m sure he’s regretting those words and would give anything to somehow take them back …
November 14th, 2008 at 2:40 am
I wish someone would steal my driver but I would still play and would have a great excuse for not playing well
November 14th, 2008 at 3:10 am
He seems to be doing and saying things well before giving some thought to it. He compared himself to Tiger and now he’s done again with his driver. He really needs to do some thinking. He’s got the talent to play golf. His thinking is letting him down.
November 14th, 2008 at 3:37 am
Come on Harold,if you are of the same mind with Poulter I have nothing to say. Just don’t compare him to someone like Perry. This guy (Poulter) don’t know what commitment (or honour for that matter) means. Perry skip a major to honour his commitment. That is vastly different from a lame duck excuse. I guess Bob sums it up the best and such a guy won’t be a loss to any tournament.
November 14th, 2008 at 3:37 am
Life is short. If he wasn’t going to have fun, why should he have to play? And why do his reasons have to make sense to you?
November 14th, 2008 at 5:32 am
Come on Jacques! Nick was just making an observation. Seems like it was a popular one by all the comments!! Get with the program.
November 14th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Come on Jacques! Nick was just making an observation. Seems like it was a popular one by all the comments!! Get with the program. Paul
November 14th, 2008 at 8:06 am
basicaly the guys a primadonna. if you ask me if you dress like a wierdo you need to be a damn good player – and im afraid this excuse of the driver is a poor excuse as his driving stats are non too good. he`s an arrogant show off that i have witnessed giving abuse to innocent spectators in the crowd on 3 occasions for making a noise seconds after he`s missed an easy putt – come on ian its time to justify your millions by concentrating on your golf, after all if you are “second in the world only behind tiger “you need to improve. (what a crock ) kev
November 14th, 2008 at 11:17 am
I like many above am surprised by Ian’s action on this. There has to be something else since involved. Unfortunately all the above comments above are based only on ONE “fact”. Anyone remember the “weapons of mass destruction” farce?
I find Ian an inspiring golf player. He goes for shots that just should not be possible. But he has the stomach to pull them off. That 3 wood shot across the water in China to a green peppered with sand traps and bunkers. Wow! NO one else had the guts for it that day.
No this is not a case of wimping off because of a missing driver. There is much more at stake here and more info that is not in the public domain.
I guess that there are too many jealous Americans and Aussies in the above who read the wrong facts and arrive at the wrong conclusions.
If Ian Poulter pulls out of any tournament he is more gutted at doing so than all of you guys!
As a matter of interest how the heck does someone steal your driver? Its a big stick with a great big globe on the top! Someone really does have to answer for this lack of security. And one other thing, I know for a fact that when I hit my Mizuno 9.5 degree driver it feels and behaves differently to other drivers I try out. There really is nothing like your own broken in gear. I played a round with retired lady American pro Susan Moon 2 years ago. She told me that she “lost” her driver on a flight and that it was at that POINT in her career that her form went to pot!
Lets see how he performs in the next tournament with his own spec driver.
Disappointed but realistic
Hal, UK
November 14th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
you must see his club as an extension of his inner self and his golf cart as a passage to true enlightenment.when someone steals his driver they are passing into another level of consciousness and dribbling a bit.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Ian Poulter is pathetic, if this was a horse race he would have been fined and suspended for not trying.
At least on the positive side it did let another golfer with a positive attitude into the tournament who wanted to play.
Doug
November 14th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I think the hair dye affected his judgement. It certainly affected mine of him.
November 14th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
why do we feed this second rater’s ego with all this publicity.
November 14th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I cannot believe that Ian. with his backing team. was unable to find a Driver which was similar to the one lost. I know he has strange habits and ideas re dress but this is a real bummer. Will he run out of balls next?
November 14th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
I thought the same thing about Ian myself until I went to the Ryder Cup. I was there every day and of all the players there he seemed the friendliest, most open and down to earth. I saw him go way out of his way to be nice so I changed my mind about him. Not sure why he did what he did but unlike Ray I don’t think his “looks” make him an ass###.
November 15th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Right you are Bill. Except I think he ran out of balls a long time ago.
November 15th, 2008 at 3:31 am
What a shame to hear such a poor excuse coming from a professional golfer. Next year the tour organiser should use their discretion to consider his entry at the Singapore open.
November 15th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Most of us would have used a lame escuse or two. To get a day off work & maybe go for a game of golf. Has anybody thought he may have taken the day off golf to go to work.
Poor little rich kid.
November 15th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Just a child who will not have his meal because someone took away his toy. Grow up Ian.
November 15th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
His hair speaks volumes.
I have been to Singapore, and frankly making a comment like that almost implies that he could NOT have had a club made up for him.
NON SENSE !! Singapore is the most state of the location on the planet and the people there are great and friendly. Any outlet would have bent over backwards to accomadate him just to get a photo op that they came to his rescue.
LAME just goes along with his hair piece and his attitude. Sad..
November 15th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
If he is telling the truth, that the driver would not arrive in time for him to try it and make sure the new blueprinted one is the exact same as the old one, then he has a valid excuse. If it was Tiger, Nike would make sure it arrived on time and it was tweeked before the tournament started. Remember, now matter what he thinks Ian Poulter is no Tiger Woods. There is so much money on these tours now that it influences the player’s decisions on many levels.
November 16th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Wait a minute! Are you telling me that a pro of HIS stature only has ONE FREAKING DRIVER!?!
I have 2 and I’m a hack, weekend golfer.
November 16th, 2008 at 1:24 am
As my dad always said, “It ain’t the wand son, it’s the magician”…..
November 17th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Didn’t Chris Riley get too tired to go out and play during the Ryder Cup? Who is going to get bashed next.
November 17th, 2008 at 12:39 am
I am sure Ian had at least a 3 wood, iron, hybred in the his bag, I would give my eye teeth to play in such a tournament. Ian it is time to grow up, act like a man ,our get the hell out and stay out you sis’sy la’la mommies boy.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Wills
17 November, 2008 5.50pm
Let’s not be too crtitical over this Ian who? Afterall, as it is, he’s not really at the top of the ladder. So, with or without him, the tournament goes on. No loss, I would say and “good luck to him” if he gets to play here again in the future.
November 17th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
187th in driving…….who in the hell would want his driver anyway!
November 17th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Nick,
As I clubmaker I have observed how finicky talented golfers can be over swing changes and small equipment changes. Although, I am sure that he probably needed an excuse to get on down the road. However, what if he actually was afraid that some other equipment might worsen his game more. Ever try to fit golfers for putter grip sizes? If you had you know what mean. I dunno – just food for fishing.
Keep up the good work,
MyKey Phelan
November 19th, 2008 at 2:03 am
He is as weird as his hair. LOL.