THE 150TH OPEN

July 17, 2022

Ian Poulter

Mixed Zone

Q. Ian, you said today could have the potential to be the most special. Just represents maybe your last time here. How was it? How did you enjoy it all?

IAN POULTER: I didn't really enjoy it, to be honest.

Q. Really?

IAN POULTER: No, that wasn't quite what I was after. Two bogeys and a double. So it's a shame really.

It's always nice to play The Open here at St Andrews. It could well be my last one. It's a shame it didn't finish how I wanted it to.

Q. That's the thing. You wanted it to be a special day, and can it be like that if it goes wrong?

IAN POULTER: Finishing 62nd is not quite what you want, is it? So another Open slides by.

Q. Did you shed a tear at all coming up the 18th?

IAN POULTER: No. I mean, I didn't need any Kleenex, but it's an emotional walk up 18, for sure.

Q. I know so much has been said and done and spoken about, but is there an element of you which, take away sort of all the roar rate that's gone on, is there a sadness that you might not necessarily be coming back because of all of the other business?

IAN POULTER: It's The Open Championship. I still have whatever the qualification criteria is, I can still qualify. So I can still go through sectional qualifying.

Q. Would you be willing to do that for what you said then?

IAN POULTER: 100 percent. I've done it before. I've done it for the U.S. Open. I've qualified. I qualified at Woburn a few years back to make it in The Open, and I did the same for the U.S. Open.

Q. It was a shock when you --

IAN POULTER: It wasn't that much of a shock in '16 when I did it, five years on from -- six years on from being No. 5 in the world. These things happen.

The way the world ranking system is right now, there's uncertainty right there. We'll just have to see how things pan out, and we'll take it from there.

Q. You'll be fit enough to knock out --

IAN POULTER: I'll be what?

Q. You'll be fit enough to --

IAN POULTER: Fit or fat? I thought you said fat for a minute with all the sausages I've been eating.

Q. Fit enough.

IAN POULTER: Who knows? I'd love to. I'd love to be fit enough, but at the age of 51 to stride up 18 again, it would be lovely.

Q. Are you willing to go beyond just playing golf and pushing the issue legally, if necessary, to get into certain events?

IAN POULTER: I think I have already. I don't know what we're trying to -- I mean, hypotheticals, I mean, commenting on what ifs.

Q. I'm not trying to comment on what ifs actually. It's just that I don't think you're not involved in the thing that just happened in the UK, are you?

IAN POULTER: What one?

Q. Where the three players --

IAN POULTER: Yes.

Q. You're involved with that?

IAN POULTER: Yes.

Q. Pardon me. What about in the U.S.?

IAN POULTER: Don't know yet. I'm not sure.

Q. Would you be willing --

IAN POULTER: I'm not sure.

Q. This isn't a hypothetical.

IAN POULTER: I'm not sure.

Q. Do you see every one of the 48 are spokespersons for the LIV Tour fairly. Are you comfortable with that role, and would you be more outspoken, if necessary, to support the Tour?

IAN POULTER: I mean, I'm playing. That's as outspoken as I need to be, right? I believe in the product they have. I think it's right for me and everything that I've done in the game of golf and where I am with my golf to have that as my platform to play golf on.

If I can play golf elsewhere, then that's great.

Q. We've been hearing a lot of names on the grapevine that could be joining you. Do you think we could be seeing new names in that space?

IAN POULTER: I haven't heard exactly who has committed and who hasn't. So I can't enlighten you on that. You might be able to enlighten me. You guys seem to know more than most of us.

Q. There's rumours about Henrik Stenson joining.

IAN POULTER: There's rumours about a lot of people. I mean, there's hot rumours.

Q. Are you going to play Bedminster?

IAN POULTER: Absolutely.

Q. Would a 20-year-old -- or 20 year earlier Ian Poulter join the LIV Tour if you were 25?

IAN POULTER: Hypothetical.

Q. I understand. But it's a legitimate question.

IAN POULTER: But it's hypothetical. There's no gain in it, is there? There's no win in playing a hypothetical game.

Q. I just wonder, if someone came to you who was 25 and said, Ian, this is where I am, this is my game. Do you think this makes sense for me?

IAN POULTER: Would you write for another publication for 10x the money?

Q. Probably. There's no question about that.

IAN POULTER: Okay.

Q. So it's really about the money?

IAN POULTER: It's a big part of it for sure. It's where you are in your life. It's where you are in your decision-making process. If it's right for you, then it's right. I mean, look, you've nailed it.

Q. When we go back to the question I was asking you at the start about whether or not this is your last Open, is there a small part of you even that questions whether the money's worth the tradeoff of not playing tournaments like this again if that's the reality?

IAN POULTER: Look, I'm 96th in the world. There is no guarantee on the European Tour or PGA TOUR that at 96th in the world I'm going to get in The Open Championship irrespective of wherever I'm playing golf. At 96th in the world, you're not going to get in The Open Championship on merit. You're going to have to qualify. So I'm going to have to qualify. I've been there and done that. So it's one of those questions.

Q. I understand you didn't have to wear the Majesticks on your sleeve, but you guys who are here, you and Lee, decided to do it anyways. Is that accurate?

IAN POULTER: No.

Q. It's not accurate?

IAN POULTER: No.

Q. So you didn't have to?

IAN POULTER: I didn't have to.

Q. But you decided to?

IAN POULTER: It's my team.

Q. Just asked.

IAN POULTER: No, it's my team.

Q. When's the last time you had to say that? Or had a chance to say that?

IAN POULTER: Well, I mean, when I was playing football. They were my team.

Q. And what was your team in football?

IAN POULTER: I mean, I played for my school team.

Q. Okay. And?

IAN POULTER: I played for Tottenham, and I was rubbish, so they got rid of me. But it's part of my team.

Q. So you're committed to it?

IAN POULTER: 100 percent.

Q. And I have a non-LIV question. You've seen Rory growing up all your life, and you've played Ryder Cups with him. What do you think, or where would this rank for him if he wins it today?

IAN POULTER: I would think it ranks extremely high seeing that he's had a number of years where he hasn't. I think we all admire Rory McIlroy for everything that he's done in the game of golf at such an early age, and we're all, I think, hard on him, and he's hard on himself and not cherry-picked a few more along the way.

So it might get the monkey off his back over this kind of dead time. How many years has it been? I can't remember.

Q. Eight.

IAN POULTER: So, look, you guys are certainly giving him a hard time. We as players who respect him don't give him a hard time because we know how hard it is to get over the line.

He's an incredible athlete. He's good for the game of golf. And if he manages to hold on and win it, I think it will be quite an emotional walk up 18 for him.

Q. Let me ask you just one more about something else. (Indiscernible), which obviously means the Ryder Cup. As a Ryder Cup legend yourself, he's a record points scorer for you. What can you say about his contribution to the Ryder Cup team?

IAN POULTER: His contribution? I mean, it speaks for itself, right? He's the highest points scorer on the European forever. So that in itself is extremely impressive. He's been part of this Ryder Cup team for 24 years, more. I can't remember what his first one was, '99, was it? A long time. Long time.

So there's a lot of guys that put a lot of good time into the Ryder Cup.