Ian Poulter has reaffirmed his desire to represent Europe at the Ryder Cup after moving into an automatic qualification spot following his tie for 31st at the US PGA Championship. The Englishman moved ahead of Paul Casey into that all-important eighth qualifying spot for the European team and he took to Twitter to declare his love for the tournament.
Replying to a Tweet, Poulter said "that trophy needs to come back home" before a later Tweet from his account read:
Nothing drives me quite like that little gold trophy.. blood sweat and tears every time I’ve played.
I need to play well next week to try and keep my automatic top 8 position.
It will be my last attempt in NJ. Let’s bring that back to @RyderCupEurope
Poulter is playing the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour in what looks set to be his final outing before qualifying for the European team finishes when the final qualifying event - The Made In Denmark - concludes on 2nd September.
The 42-year-old missed out on playing the 2016 Ryder Cup through injury and was a vice-captain to Darren Clarke as Europe lost to USA at Hazeltine. He has hit upon a rich vein of form during 2018 though as he bids to qualify automatically, missing just one cut in his last fourteen stroke-play starts worldwide, including eight top-25 finishes and a first victory since 2012 thanks to a hugely impressive win at the Houston Open.
Poulter's resurgence ensures he is in eighth place in the projected standings for the European Ryder Cup team. As it stands, Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood would be the four automatic picks from the European Points List, while Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Alex Noren and Poulter would be the four selections from the World Points List.
Poulter will almost certainly be there to take on the USA at Le Golf National in Paris from 28-30 September as his fine recent form, allied with his exceptional Ryder Cup record, ensures Thomas Bjorn would surely select Poulter as one of his wildcard picks.
Poulter is a veteran of five Ryder Cups during his career, tasting defeat only once, and he boasts an exceptional personal record in the format. His win-loss-halved record stands at a sensational 12-4-2 and he has won 13 points from 18 matches at a remarkable win-rate of 72.22%.
Europe's 'Mr Ryder Cup' is ready.
