English golfer Ian Poulter is a successful member of both the PGA and European tours. Ian Poulter was born in Stevenage, England, in 1976. The son of a golfer, Poulter started playing the game at age 4. He turned pro in 1995, and joined the European and PGA tours in 1999. Poulter has won several tournaments over the past several years, and is well known for his feisty, competitive attitude. He has also steered Europe’s Ryder Cup team to several big victories.
British professional golfer Ian James Poulter was born on January 10, 1976, in Stevenage, England. Immersed in the game of golf at an early age, Poulter, whose father, Terry Poulter, was a single-digit handicapper, started playing the sport at the age of 4, after being handed down a miniature 3-wood.
By age 14, Poulter was working a store, selling shirts exclusively to fund his playing. Well-known for his hard work and tenacity, Poulter was in his late teens before he was finally recognized as one of England’s top young players.
Poulter turned pro in 1995, and soon after, became known and insulted for his scrappy, sometimes tenacious attitude and play. It seemed then, as it has throughout his career, that the golfer had found a way to thrive on negative comments from antagonists and naysayers.
Four years after turning pro, Poulter made a huge career leap, earning both his PGA and European tour cards. Over the next several years, he would string together a series of victories, including the Italian Open in 2000 and 2002, the Moroccan Open in 2001, the 2003 Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open and the 2003 Nordic Open.
In 2004, Poulter went down to the wire against Spain’s Sergio Garcia before prevailing in sudden death at the Volvo Masters. That same year, he played in his first Ryder Cup, a European route at the Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfied Township, Michigan, and won one of two matches. Poulter has in fact earned a reputation as a steely composed competitor at the Ryder Cup, one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments. In 2008, he won four of five points for his European team, which fell to the U.S. team in overall play.