Ian Poulter interview: I want to play on after my LIV Golf contract ends in 2025

Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter on playing into his fifties, returning to the secene of his last win this week in the LIV Golf League, and why he’s not surprised that the game remains divided.

Ian Poulter never got to defend his last title on the PGA Tour but this week he will have the next best thing when the LIV Golf League heads to the Golf Club of Houston for the first time.

That was where Poulter won the Houston Open in 2018 but a change in the tournament’s scheduling followed by a move to a new venue and his switch to LIV Golf means the Englishman has never been back – until now, that is. 

Poulter produced his best result in two seasons of the LIV Golf League earlier this year in Hong Kong at another venue where he has previously won, so the Majesticks co-captain is hoping that a return to a happy hunting ground can inspire another flourish.

“I never came back to defend as a champion, which was bizarre, because the date clashed with another event. It is a golf course I know, a golf course I’ve won on so I’m hoping there’s a theme in there,” he told City A.M.

“I’ve got several courses in this format that I’ve actually won golf tournaments on: Hong Kong, Valderrama and Singapore. So 20-something per cent of the events that we’ll play are on courses that I really like and I’ve played well on in the past.

“We can definitely build on weeks like Hong Kong. That week was a good week for us as a team, I think it was a decent week for me as an individual.”

Poulter’s preparations for LIV Golf Houston were not helped by an airline delivering his clubs late, meaning he didn’t get a chance to play the new-look course until Wednesday.

The Ryder Cup hero was thankful, then, for the expertise of Destination Sport, the specialist travel management company who are also a partner of Majesticks, as well the likes of Manchester United and British Cycling.

“It’s invaluable because we can push over all of that logistic stuff to them to plan, to organise, to streamline which makes it easier,” he said.

“Travelling is quite stressful at times. But it’s great to be able to have that support system there. We rely on them. They do a great job for us.”

Poulter on playing into his fifties and golf’s ongoing split

Poulter says he is enjoying the extra family time that playing on the 14-leg LIV Golf circuit allows, compared with the 28-tournament seasons of old. 

He is currently 37th in the individual standings, 12 places above the relegation zone in which unprotected – ie non-captain – players lose their playing privileges. 

Poulter is contracted to the league until the end of 2025 but, as a co-owner of Majesticks, will be involved beyond that in some capacity and his focus remains very much on playing on.

“First and foremost, I will be playing next year. I have a contract until the end of next year. Also I am a team co-owner,” said the 48-year-old.

“With that comes responsibility. With that comes an investment of my time to be able to help build this franchise out. And that’s something that’s important and exciting to me. I think it’s exciting to Lee [Westwood] and Henrik [Stenson] as well. 

“I fully anticipate playing more than next year. I still think my golf game is good enough to continue to play, so I would certainly think I’m going to be positioned to continue playing here for the foreseeable future until it’s in a position where I don’t feel I’m as competitive as I need to be to help move this team forward. 

“I’m fully anticipating being here for a while so I’m ever working harder in the gym. I’m ever working harder on my golf game.”

It’s a year since the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, backers of LIV Golf, stunned the sport by announcing an end to bitter hostilities.

But little has changed since, with a framework agreement yet to be fleshed out – his dream of captaining Europe at a Ryder Cup still out of reach – and Poulter admits that he is not surprised.

He is hopeful that the professional ecosystem can be reconciled again but doesn’t “see it happening anytime soon”, and lays the blame squarely at the door of the PGA Tour.

“This hasn’t been driven by the DP World Tour thinking for themselves,” he said. “They’ve been guided down a path in my opinion by the PGA Tour and that’s a very sad and unfortunate position.”