The Defending Champ

With good results at all four majors last year, a couple of wins and a near miss in Dubai you were poised to break into the top 10 in the Official Golf World Rankings. This year has seen your ranking slip a little [at the time of press Poulter was ranked 28]. Is that a result of trying to change anything in your game?

Although I won a tournament this year I am disappointed in my performance and in my results. I'm building a new home and have various business interests – I felt I allowed myself to become a little distracted, which affected my game and my performance on the golf course. After some time off at home I have worked hard and am very focused on my game. I'm very excited about getting back on the golf course. I look forward to great results this coming season – although defending my UBS Hong Kong Open title is certainly a big priority before that starts.

You're definitely classed as a world player, but how difficult is it to balance both the US and European tours when there is so much money on offer on both – particularly with the Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup offering such rewards?

Obviously it is tough to travel as much as I do but I have always committed to playing both the European and PGA Tour. I think the most PGA events I played was 18 in one season. Playing both makes Ryder Cup qualifying difficult but I see myself as a global player with a global brand and enjoy playing around the world. I work really hard to maintain my status on both tours and having won tournaments makes that much easier.

Your route to the pro ranks was far from conventional. Did you always believe you would become a top player winning PGA and European Tour tournaments and contending in majors? Speaking of which, which major are you best suited to win?

Yes, I have always believed in myself since I was young – it is just who I am. I love the atmosphere of majors with the excitement and media pressure – there is so much buzz around all of those events. I would love to win all four majors obviously – it is what every player wants. Augusta – we play every year and it is a fabulous golf course and requires imagination that I love and I have played well there and led once after 36 holes. At the same time all the other majors are equally important and it’s always nice to return to St Andrew’s every five years. I have yet to win a major and so I have work to do but I am focusing on trying to hit the right shots at the right time.

How is the clothing line going? How much time do you spend on that side of the business and is it a good or bad distraction at times?

Things are going very well. I enjoy business and love learning new things. I believe I may be the first player to actually own my own clothing line and haven’t sold the rights to anyone else. I keep a close eye on it and want to make sure we don’t grow too quick. We have all our Tartan’s registered with the Scottish Tartan Authority and control quality for us is key As much as I love business, I love golf and that is my job! I will leave the logistics to the experts and the distributors and to my great team and focus on my golf game. I am very excited about the fall line up though.

David Feherty has made a few snide remarks – in fun – of your clubhead speed. Are you doing anything to improve on this?
[Laughs] I have been in the gym working very hard – harder than I ever have to be honest. I figure stronger will lead to more power but I don’t mean bigger, just lean and strong. So working hard along with getting the right mix of equipment will help me increase club head speed which is what we are all after!