Joy Rider

Wanting to turn professional, Poulter enrolled into the British PGA’s training programme – but only after taking a cheeky initiative. “To turn pro I needed a handicap of four, but I never really had a handicap, because I never really played any amateur golf,” he remembers with a laugh. “But it wasn’t too much of a problem because I was in charge of handicapping at my club, so I just made it up. I put down “four” and sent it in. I might get in trouble for saying that but it’s a bit late now.”
Changing clubs, but still working as a professional’s assistant, Poulter played in a series of low-key regional events, such as the Mizuno Assistants’ Championship (which he won) before making it onto the Challenge Tour, the European Tour’s developmental circuit. “The past ten years have been a very fun journey. It’s all a bit surreal to be honest,” says Poulter, as if only just now realizing what he’s achieved. “I was working in a pro shop for seven years – serving up hot sausage rolls and that kind of thing – and now I’m ranked the thirteenth best player in the world. Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Poulter’s first professional win – at the exotic Open de Côte d'Ivoire in 1999 – also falls into the “fun” category. “My caddie was the spitting image of Bob Marley,” laughs Poulter, who shared a room for most of the Challenge Tour season with best friend Justin Rose. “He had the same dreadlocks and the same voice. We sang Bob Marley songs together the whole way around. But he was a brilliant caddie. He read the greens and I only had 102 putts for the whole week, which is the lowest I’ve ever had. I gave him ten per cent of my winnings, which is a lot of money in the Ivory Coast, and he was really appreciative. It was a great time and playing and winning in Africa got me excited. I wanted to play more and more around the world.”