Nice Guys Finish First: Ian Poulter Wins Match Play Championship

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at Internationaled.org

Published: February 22, 2010

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Eight years ago, a twig of a Brit with a cockney accent walked into my office at La Costa.  The young man with spiky blonde hair claimed to be a professional on the European Tour and just wanted to have a look at the course under tournament conditions.  It was the week of the 2002 WGC—Accenture Match Play, and he wasn't high enough in the World Ranking to qualify for the event.  In fact, he was so unknown to the American golf scene that we asked for I.D. when he requested a credential.

He turned to leave with pass in hand, opened the door to find a downpour, and changed his mind.  "Can I join you, then?"

And, with that, Ian Poulter plopped himself on my floor and watched the tournament on TV as a spectator.

Today, he topped countryman Paul Casey four and two to hoist a Walter Hagen Cup of his own, securing his first win on US soil. 

It's been a long time coming.

On that rainy afternoon in 2002, Poulter made himself comfortable, saying he was in Southern California to practice.  He admitted to missing home and said he'd just become a father for the first time.  When we asked if he had photos, he pointed to my computer.

"Does that laptop have AOL, then?  They've sent me new photos today, and I can't seem to get to them from the hotel." 

I started to give him my seat. 

"No, no," he said.  He instructed me to get online, gave me his username and password, and we downloaded photos of his new daughter Aimee.  He beamed.

Since then, Poulter has famously become a solid two-tour player, a clothing designer, and a Twitter fanatic. 

Poulter notched a runner-up performance at The Open Championship in 2008, was the highest points scorer on either team at the 2008 Ryder Cup, and catapulted to at least No. 5 in the World Ranking with today's win at Dove Mountain.  

Along ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

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