After a stunning T2 finish at The Players Championship in which he took home $924,000, Ian Poulter was ecstatic about golf once again. He'd just come off a stretch where he thought he lost his PGA Tour card only to find out at the 11th hour that he'd not only kept it but that he was in The Players as well.
"I was really pleased the way I played all week, barring the nightmare second shot into the last," said Poulter, who shanked his approach on No. 18. "But I think when I sit back and reflect on this week, I've played with less pressure. I've played probably with a little smile on my face. I've had a lot of fun."
Then he turned his television on where Golf Channel broadcaster Brandel Chamblee accused him of not playing to win.
Brandel, on the way Poults played down the stretch: "He clearly did not play to win, and he didn't!"
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) May 14, 2017
"What is it that makes us jump out of our chairs when someone plays like they don't need the money?" asked Chamblee. "When they play and you can clearly see that the only thing that motivates them is winning."
Poulter fired back on Twitter before Chamblee blocked him (although we don't know if he did so before or after the spat).
Sorry to disappoint, I can only dream of being as good as Brandel.. it's clearly very easy sitting on your arse... thanks for the support. https://t.co/hK8rs8NcXW
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) May 15, 2017
Say no more... 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/wmVndofhng
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) May 15, 2017
Thanks for the support this week guys... terrible 2nd shot on the last followed by a pretty good one. Work in progress. Onwards 👍🏻
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) May 15, 2017
I'm here for all of this. Chamblee is not wrong. Poulter did not play to win late. He did not fire at pins. He waited on Si Woo Kim to collapse (which did not happen). He played for a top three finish, not a victory. But I'm fine with that. Players play golf for a variety of reasons. Some love the lifestyle. Some love the cash. Some collect trophies.
I don't begrudge Poulter for playing the way he did because this is sort of what we've come to expect from Poulter. He wants to be good enough to be relevant so that he's heard, but I've never thought of him as a killer late in tournaments. Him firing at the middle of greens to finish in the top five is exactly what I would expect him to do.
And it's also part of the reason Poulter will never be beloved by many others Chamblee referenced who care more about winning than finishing high on leaderboards and cashing in on that success.
"I was swimming at the bottom of an empty pool for a little while," Poulter told The Guardian. "So it is nice to see it fill it up again and feel like I'm not touching the bottom. This feels like a victory."
I think that's all that needs to be said about that.
Poulter was invited to play in the BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour's flagship event, next week. It's their Players Championship. He accepted the offer and will head east trying to improve upon his Players finish.
"For me, to have played well last week and locked up everything in America has now freed my summer up and meant I can come back and play in some of the big events in Europe, which I'm really looking forward to," said Poulter. "Everyone on the European Tour has been incredibly supportive and that has helped me be free and clear on what I needed to do in my own mind."