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 The proud Englishman now holds the torch once carried so
memorably by Ryder Cup greats like Seve Ballesteros and Colin
Montgomerie and his 80 percent winning record in the biennial team
event is beyond compare.
It was Poulter who breathed new life into the European corpse two
years ago, producing a remarkable run of five birdies in a row on
Saturday to inspire his team to a one-point victory over the United
States after being seemingly dead and buried at 10-4 down.
Asked by a reporter if his four young children found his
performances amazing, Poulter laughed: "No, I think they are
scared".
The 38-year-old says he experiences similar feelings when he watches
televised flashbacks of his Ryder Cup exploits. "Yes, it's very
scary," he told a giggling news conference.
"But I'm showing my emotion like Seve, like Jose Maria Olazabal,
like Monty, like Ian Woosnam, like Sam Torrance, like all the guys
through the years that have ever played in the Ryder Cup," said
Poulter.
 "I'm showing the emotion because it means so much and, however you
want to show that, it just comes out naturally and that's what
you've seen through the years.
"How I've performed in the last number of Ryder Cups is -- if I
really have to sit back and think about it -- I'm very proud of
that. I'm passionate as a team player and to be mentioned with the
likes of Seve and Monty and those players is an absolute honor."
Earlier this week, United States captain Tom Watson identified
Poulter and world number one Rory McIlroy as the main European
players his team wanted to stop.
HUGE COMPLIMENT
"I guess I take Tom Watson's comment as a huge compliment," said the
Englishman.
"To me as a player, as someone that has loved the Ryder Cup, and for
Tom, who is as accomplished as he is, to pay me that compliment is
amazing."
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Poulter's record away from the Ryder Cup pales by comparison. He has
chalked up 12 European Tour wins but is still waiting to register
the first major victory of his career.
"My record in the Ryder Cup is exceptional and my strokeplay record
isn't," he lamented. "Quite clearly I've struggled to take what I
have in the Ryder Cup and put that out for 103 weeks in-between
them.
"But every putt in the Ryder Cup is the equivalent of winning a
tournament so ... the emotion that goes through your body is the
same as the putt that you experience on a Sunday in a big
tournament.
"Potentially you're holing lots of winning tournament putts
throughout a three-day spell and sometimes that all adds up to more
wins than you would ever win in your professional lifetime," added
Poulter.
"That's why players enjoy the Ryder Cup so much and that's why it's
mentally and physically draining by the end of the week because you
go through that emotion so often."
Poulter, who is almost certain to be picked by captain Paul McGinley
for Friday's four opening fourball matches, said there was no extra
heat on him to perform this week because he is regarded as Europe's
talisman.
"I put enough pressure on myself leading in and I work hard to be
able to deliver in Ryder Cups," he said. "I don't think negatively,
I think positively that we are going to go out there and deliver.
"I never feel I'm going to go out there and think, what if something
doesn't happen? It's more to the point of, let's go out there and do
the job."
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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