You can take Ian Poulter out of the Ryder Cup (and just about every other meaningful golf competition on earth), but you can’t take the Ryder Cup out of Ian Poulter. This week, the former Ryder Cup agitator joined fellow Euro Tyrrell Hatton in front of the SPORTBible cameras to settle a few of golf’s thorniest debates. It didn’t take long for the fireworks to get started either. The very first question out of the gate—are American golf fans better than European golf fans?—quickly lit the wick of Poulter’s powder keg. The seven-time Ryder Cupper embarked on a rant for the ages, expressing his longstanding desire to taser Yank patrons in the face for yelling such things as “mashed potatoes!” and “get in the hole!” Take it away, Poults.
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Poulter has never been one to mince words, but when you’re dropping so many F-bombs Tyrrell Hatton looks shell shocked, you know you might be crossing a line or two. At one point, as the fog of war retreated for a moment, Poulter asked “this is just a UK channel, right?” We regret to inform Poulter, but that’s not how the YouTube works.
Once Poulter—who has an all-time Ryder Cup record of 6-0-1 in singles—cooled down a bit, he started in on a familiar talking point.
“Our [European] fans, when they come and watch golf, are very respectful,” Poulter continued. “I’m not completely dissing the American fans because the atmosphere in America is amazing, but I think the understanding of a good shot—”
At this point, Hatton, realizing Poulter is now attempting to back track, cuts in, but the point is made: Poulter thinks European golf fans are not only more respectful than their American counterparts (though Brian Harman might beg to differ), but also understand the game of golf better.
Frankly it’s the cliche of all golf cliches, and we don’t know who actually buys this stuff in the year 2025 when everybody everywhere is a loudmouthed jackass (looking at you, Poults) with their head shoved in their phone. But as far as Ryder Cup banter goes, it’s up there with the best we’ve heard this week, and should the U.S. prevail on home soil as is expected, we’ll all have to thank the World No. 3012 for the added motivation.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
