In the March issue of the UK version of Golf World magazine (pictured right), Ian Poulter is quoted as saying:
Don’t get me wrong, I really respect every professional golfer, but I know I haven’t played to my full potential and when that happens, it will be just me and Tiger.
When Poulter was asked by Golf World who he thought would win The Masters, he replied, "Put Tiger down for that one." When asked about the US Open at Torrey Pines, he said, "You can put me down for that one." Jason Sobel of ESPN.com offers an interesting perspective:
But upon further inspection, we should note that unlike the comments of Sabbatini, Ames and Mickelson, Poulter meant no disrespect toward Woods. In fact, the Englishman went out of his way to praise the game's top-ranked player. "Tiger is one in a million," he said. "Actually Tiger is one in 10 million. He is extraordinary. If you look at the rankings he is almost two and a half times better than the guy in second place."
These comments have little to do with Woods' superiority and more to do with the confidence -- or shall we call it cockiness? -- of Poulter. Is that such a bad thing? Should the rest of the world's best golfers be content to play second fiddle rather than trying to compete at the same level as Tiger?
He’s much more jovial than Rory Sabbatini. But what all these people have in common, is when they actually play in the same group as Tiger, they get throttled. They get crushed time and time again. On the quotes alone, I love Ian Poulter.
Golf Channel analyst Brian Hewitt said jokingly on The Grey Goose 19th Hole on The Golf Channel:
I’m just waiting for Rory Sabbatini to come out and say that Ian Poulter is more beatable than ever. Rory is getting left out of the debate here, I don’t think he likes that…The match that you most want to see in golf right now all of a sudden isn’t Rory vs. Tiger, it’s Ian Poulter vs. Tiger…And if it happens, I’ve got a prediction, Tiger wins 10 & 8. He’ll beat his brains out.
