Poulter's metamorphosis complete with Accenture victory

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Ian Poulter was a popular figure following his first TOUR win Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.

Feb. 21, 2010
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

MARANA, Ariz. -- You know him for his flashy clothes, and Ian Poulter certainly didn't disappoint.

The Englishman, who, it must be said, irons his own outfits before every round, wore "orchid pink" on Sunday from his wing-tips to his sweater. But it was the way Poulter played, not his attire, that garnered the attention at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship last week.

Poulter only trailed for one hole on Sunday, beating fellow Brit Paul Casey 4 and 2 on the 34th hole of the championship match. The victory was his first on the PGA TOUR and moved him to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking -- completing what even he acknowledges would be a metamorphosis from peacock to player in some eyes.

"I think I've had an interesting ride from a lot of people's point of view of how I present myself on the golf course, as opposed to how well I can actually perform," Poulter said. "So this to me is very pleasing to be able to be in that position now. And actually, I guess, 5 in the world stands for more than just what I wear on the golf course."

Indeed. Poulter sees this victory, the first by an Englishman in a World Golf Championships event, as the culmination of more than five years of hard work. In fact, he uprooted his family -- wife, Katie, and their two children -- and moved to Orlando to pursue this dream.

"It means everything," Poulter said. "... It's just so pleasing to be able to finally say now I'm a winner on the PGA TOUR."

Poulter's performance Sunday as he ran his Accenture Match Play Championship record to 18-7 really should come as no surprise. He finished second at the 2008 Open Championship, as well as last year's PLAYERS Championship. And who could forget those bug-eyed celebrations at Valhalla as he posted a 4-1-0 record that validated Nick Faldo's captain's pick?

Truth be told, though, Poulter may have been best known for some brash comments he made to a British golf magazine that suggested when he fulfilled his potential, he'd rise to challenge Tiger Woods. Poulter quickly said he'd been misquoted but the words resonated across the world.

"That's all in the past," Poulter said Sunday. "I just felt that if I could deliver what I believed I could, then I could put myself in a good situation. I've certainly done that over the last 18 months. And I've certainly been able to deliver on that today.

"It's so nice to see myself at No. 5 and get higher and higher up the World Rankings and hopefully can keep going in that same direction."

Casey, who has played two Ryder Cups with Poulter, was characteristically gracious in defeat on Sunday. The two have competed against each other for years and their friendship is enduring. So Casey was more inclined to take those brash words of several years ago in the "that's-just-Ian-being-Ian" vein.

"He'll tell you exactly what he's thinking, which always makes me smile about Ian," Casey said. "But if Ian believes that, and he does, then there's no reason why he couldn't get to that spot because for me it's not about talent, it's about work ethic and belief and all the rest of it, all the other attributes that go into being a great golfer. And he's worked incredibly hard.

"So I think everybody chuckled slightly when we read the comments. But I know how hard he works and how much he cares about it. So deep down I think a lot of people; I, for one, thought, well, it's not that much of an outrageous comment. I think he showed today he's pretty good."

Poulter is a man of eclectic tastes. His love of fashion comes from his mother, who managed a women's clothing store, and the apparel he wears on the courses is from his own line. He loves cars -- he bought a Ferrari after his third win -- and devotes a section of his website to automobiles he's owned.

And then there's London's Arsenal football club. Poulter, who once wore an Arsenal jersey while playing in the Abu Dhabi Championship, is a huge fan. In 2006, in fact, he flew from the Irish Open to Paris to see them play Barcelona for the European Championship -- and made his 7:50 a.m. tee time the next morning.

Most of all, though, he loves to play golf, and the former club pro has ascended to the upper echelon of the game with Sunday's victory. He played with confidence and conviction in the championship match -- throughout the week, really -- and reported that his his short game was "as good as it's ever been."

"I just felt calm and I felt that I could deliver whatever I needed to deliver," Poulter said simply.

Sunday would be savored -- even if Poulter was hopping a plane at 6:30 a.m. to fly to Palm Springs to shoot a Cobra commercial. And time will tell whether he can deliver what all players crave -- a major championship but that's certainly among those boxes Poulter referenced several times that have yet to be "ticked."

"Hopefully we can now set our goals a little higher to kick on for the rest of the year," Poulter said.

He undoubtedly already has.