England’s Ian Poulter has been pitted in the familiar role of Europe’s frontman for the opening day of the EURASIA CUP presented by DRB-HICOM.
Captain Darren Clarke has entrusted Poulter and playing partner Bernd Wiesberger with delivering an early point for the away team when the Friday morning fourballs get underway at 8.35am at the Glenmarie Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur.
Poulter boasts a formidable Ryder Cup record, having accrued 13 points from five appearances in the biennial contest, and the Englishman is again relishing his role as Europe’s go-to guy this week.
The pair will go up against a familiar foe in Anirban Lahiri, who won two European Tour titles last term, and his partner Jeunghun Wang of Korea.
“This EurAsia Cup is something that means a lot to both teams and it certainly means a lot to these European players. The reason why I certainly like Ryder Cup and obviously this format is because it’s the purest form of golf. It’s match play.
“You see your opponent right in the face and you can go out there and you can make a difference: You can hole a chip shot; you can hole a bunker shot; you can hole a long putt; you can turn a match around. In stroke-play events, that doesn’t really happen, but in match play, it does.The second you hit that first tee shot, you want to get your opponent off the golf course as soon as possible,” said Poulter.
With Poulter as one of his picks, captain Darren Clarke will be looking to lift the trophy for Team Europe after the inaugural event ended in a 10-10 tie two years ago.
“Obviously we all know Poults. We know what he brings to the team. We know what he brings to the team room. And to have him leading off Europe, we couldn’t ask for a better player,” said Clarke.
