Poulter facing pressure

Ian Poulter used to start every Monday by opening the link to the Official World Golf Ranking.

“I’ve stopped looking, just because it’s not a very nice number to look at,” said Poulter, who has plunged all the way to No.

Poulter, so emotionally charged during a Ryder Cup, managed a small dose of self-deprecation about his world ranking.

He took one step on Thursday by opening the Honda Classic with a 4-under 66, two shots off the lead shared by PGA Tour rookies Cody Gribble and Wesley Bryan.

Poulter did all his work in three holes, starting with a fairway metal to a back pin that stopped 6 feet away for eagle on the par-5 third hole, a 20-foot birdie putt on the next hole and a bold tee shot over the edge of the water to 15 feet for birdie on the par-3 fifth.

That meant missing the Ryder Cup for the first time in 10 years, though his form was so bad that it would have been a tall order to spend a captain’s pick on him.

He played four times on the PGA Tour and missed two cuts.

How else to explain how he could go from folding shirts as an assistant pro to winning his first year on the European Tour, earning a PGA Tour card and becoming America’s biggest thorn in the Ryder Cup ? “I’m looking at it like I would like to be in a position with the six events I’m going to play to earn enough money, which secures everything.

Poulter had a golden chance to win this tournament two years ago when he had a three-shot lead going into the final round, and then he hit five balls into the water to shoot 75.