‘To my face, nothing’: Poulter breezes into Scottish Open after ban overturned

If Ian Poulter has concerns about incurring the wrath of fellow players and the Scottish golf public in the coming days, he hides them extremely well. The Englishman, who was originally blocked from participating in the Scottish Open because of involvement in the breakaway LIV Series, strode into the Renaissance Club on Wednesday having been cleared to play.

Poulter insisted golf’s civil war is not apparent at the coalface. “I feel comfortable in the position that I have always committed to the European Tour,” he said. “This has always been my home tour for 24 years. Why should that change?

“I had a reception early this week [at the JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor] as never before: 40,000 fans at the event and they were incredible. Not one bit of abuse, zero. Yes, social media is bad because that’s their forum to hide. We know that happens. It empowers people who can stay behind a screen. But to my face? Nothing.”

But what of colleagues? Billy Horschel used pre-tournament media duties here to lambast “hypocrites” on the LIV circuit. Poulter chose not to address Horschel’s sentiment directly but instead pointed towards fellow Europeans Rory McIlroy and Thomas Bjørn, who sit firmly in the anti-LIV camp.

“I haven’t felt any issues at all.” Poulter said. “It’s business, right? So business and personal are two completely different things. I am going to have a different opinion than some. Even if Thomas’s opinion is different to mine, I’m not going to fall out with him about it. I have known Thomas for 25 years. He is on the [European Tour] board and has the right to his opinion, I have a right to mine.

“There’s going to be a few people that are extremely strong-minded about it and there are others who are my friends; we will