Once a fan favourite, it’s safe to say Ian Poulter’s popularity has suffered since his move to the controversial LIV Golf Series was announced.
Booed onto the tee on Thursday, he received a similarly frosty reception on Friday as he began his second round at the 150th Open. Check it out below:
A couple of ironic jeers rather than actual boos for Ian Poulter at the first #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/ZZwkHa1WvNJuly 15, 2022
The Englishman is one of 24 LIV rebels in the field this week and silenced his critics with a three-under 69 on Thursday in St Andrews that featured the longest ever televised holed putt.
Poulter has been suspended by the PGA Tour for joining the new series while DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley has also dished out sanctions. To make matters worse, LIV stars now face the prospect of being unable to play in the four Majors from 2022 onwards.
Ahead of the historic Claret Jug shoot-out, R&A CEO Martin Slumbers admitted “we will review our exemptions and qualifications criteria for The Open.” An avenue reportedly under consideration is excluding any players who are suspended from either of the game’s traditional tours from featuring in any future editions of the game’s oldest championship.
Poulter was one of four players to have their Scottish Open bans overturned by an independent legal body in the UK, and Greg Norman, the LIV Golf CEO, has vowed to support his members in the inevitable legal battles to come.
The International Dispute Resolution Centre by Sports Resolutions ruled on Poulter’s plight and “temporarily stayed” the suspensions imposed on him, pending a full appeals review. In response, DP World Tour chief Keith Pelley admitted he was “disappointed.”
Despite the controversy, Poulter maintains he would like to keep his card on the Old World circuit.
“My commitment to my European Tour card was always to continue and play more events. We didn’t know what the consequences of playing for LIV would be. We knew there would be some form of action, but it was never spelled out to us, and I feel the action they have taken…
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