PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Leave your ego at the door.
That was the message Wednesday night when Ian Poulter spoke with members of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team at dinner. Poulter’s son, Luke, is one of 10 players for the GB&I, and the former Ryder Cup stalwart was hanging around the squad during practice rounds trying to help them prep for the 50th edition of the Walker Cup at famed Cypress Point Club on the Monterey Peninsula.
“Being able to talk to him obviously about the Ryder Cup and his experiences, and yeah, having the chance to ask him questions and what it means and how to play these events, how to deal with the pressure has been so important,” Tyler Weaver, GB&I’s highest-ranked player in the world this week, said. “It’s been great for us to be able to ask him questions and learn.”
Perhaps no one was more fired up from Poulter’s dinner speech than his own blood.
Starting on Cypress Point’s opening par-4, Poulter made his approach shot for an eagle. On the par-5 second, he narrowly missed an eagle putt but had an easy birdie.
Then came the par-3 third, playing at 155 yards and slightly downwind. Poulter pulled a 9-iron, and the shot went in for his first career hole-in-one.
Talk about an incredible start to the day. 5 under thru 3 holes. And perhaps some more juice before Saturday’s opening four-ball session.
While the focus has been on the Poulters heavily the past 24 hours, there have been plenty of others reaching out to encourage GB&I heading into the Walker Cup.
They’ve only won twice on American soil in the history of the competition.
“We’ve also had some messages from Harrington, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Paul McGinley, all messages of encouragement, and just talking about how special this week is going to be,” Niall Shield Donegan, the shining star of last month’s U.S. Amateur at Olympic Club, said.
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