Poulter describes shift in focus: ‘There’s more to life than golf’

Something seems to have changed in Ian Poulter.

A week ago, Poulter hastily packed his bags and his clubs and boarded a flight from his home in Orlando to Hong Kong. He did that so he could maintain his European Tour membership and remain eligible to play in next year’s Ryder Cup in Minnesota. The decision to play golf came at the expense of spending time with 192 children flown into Orlando by Dreamflight, a United Kingdom-based charity which Poulter regularly helps, whose mission is to provide seriously ill or disabled children with an unaccompanied vacation to Disney World and the surrounding area.

Poulter saved his card, and now he’s in Turkey for the Turkish Airlines Open, the kickoff to the European Tour’s Final Series. However, flying halfway around the world to chase that status has shaken up the Englishman, perhaps inspiring an analysis of what he prioritizes — and maybe making a change.

“It’s not all about golf, really,” Poulter said in an interview with Golf Channel. “It’s about having fun. That was obviously very stressful. It was a very difficult week, an emotional week. Not just the stress of knowing you’re outside the top 50 and then having to get to yourself to an event, which was a surprise, but leaving kids behind. You’ve got obligations, and you really want to see 192 children have a wonderful time in Orlando, and that’s taken from you because of poor play on my part, and obviously poor planning. I just sit back and think, ‘There’s more to life than golf.'”

It’s hard to imagine Poulter without the kind of bug-eyed intensity that makes him scary in the Ryder Cup and, yes, somewhat off-putting to select fans. It’s that seemingly unending chase which pro golf offers that has afforded him an incredible lifestyle. However, at some point, every pro golfer runs out of figurative gas, eventually having that catharsis when they realize the job won’t last forever and that it might be time to step back from golf and toward their families.

If that’s the case for Poulter — permanently, not temporarily dazed by thousands of miles of air time — then perhaps it’s actually best for his golf game and the longer-term prospects for his career.

“If I just go out to play golf to enjoy myself from now on it, I will be back in the top 50 and playing some big tournaments — and obviously winning them,” he said.

Instead of putting all his eggs into the Ryder Cup basket every two years, Poulter could become more consistent knowing that he’s playing for himself and not for continent.

Via Geoff Shackelford

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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