Don’t expect Ian Poulter to be a part of any future Ryder Cups.
A stalwart on the European Team that has won the biennial match five times, Poulter has a record of 15-8-2, including an undefeated mark in Sunday Singles.
He’s one of the most fiery competitors in the history of the event, and he was a shoo-in to be a future European captain. That was, until he left to join LIV Golf in 2022.
Now, it seems as if he won’t be involved in the Ryder Cup whatsoever moving forward.
“Too much happened last time,” Poulter told Gulf News. “Too much was said, and that’s extremely disappointing from my perspective with the way certain people were treated and spoken about with reference to the Ryder Cup, especially when certain people have committed a lot of their life to work extremely hard for that product.
“So, the way it stands right now, with the current people that run that level of the organization, things would have to change for me to be involved. That’s from an everything perspective, I’m not needed, they didn’t need me last time.”
Ultimately, longtime members of the European team like Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Graeme McDowell weren’t needed last year, as the Europeans beat the Americans at Marco Simone in Rome. Luke Donald, who replaced Henrik Stenson as captain when the latter also went to LIV Golf, did such a good job, he has been tabbed as captain for 2025 at Bethpage Black.
Many players who left LIV Golf resigned their membership on the DP World Tour, a requirement to be on the European Ryder Cup team. While players like Garcia said they’d be interested in rejoining the DP World Tour to try to get back into the Ryder Cup fold in the future, others like Poulter are waving goodbye.
Last year, Rory McIlroy said “I think they are going to miss being here more than we’re missing them,” about those who left for LIV. Former European captains Nick Faldo and Paul McGinley also made comments about how the team had moved on after players removed themselves.
Poulter understands his playing days at the Ryder Cup are done, but he could still have a role as captain or vice captain.
However, it seems that won’t happen, considering the landscape of professional golf and the things that would have to happen to mend relationships that have been severed.
“When you’ve given and committed so much of your career to want to be with a certain group of individuals, no matter what is said, good or bad, they will always be your teammates,” Poulter said. “I might not agree with some of the stuff they’ve said, and that would need to be aired and bridges rebuilt. But again, they didn’t miss us, they told us we weren’t missed and that’s OK.
“There’s no question: if you cut me in half, it bleeds Ryder Cup, right? But I also have my own self dignity and respect in there to not allow people to say certain stuff and disrespect you.”