Ian Poulter joins forces with Lee Westwood for International Series England at Close House

Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are uniting once more for the International Series. The LIV Golf stars and Majesticks GC co-captains join a very strong field for the upcoming International Series England, which will be held at Close House on August 17-20.

The fifth tournament of The International Series 2023, and 11th on the Asian Tour, will see the English duo return together and look to put their stamp on Close House.

Poulter, an Englishman, said:

"I always enjoy the opportunity to tee-up on home turf and Close House is a fantastic venue where the crowds are packed with knowledgeable golf fans. I’ve been fortunate enough to witness some of the top talents of the Asian Tour first-hand in the [LIV Golf] League, especially Andy Ogletree who stepped in for Lee in DC and turned in a 62! So, I’m looking forward to my International Series debut.”

Poulter has long been a big part of the European Ryder Cup team, so this will be a welcome experience for him. He's been rather vilified since leaving the PGA Tour and then being disbarred from the DP World Tour as a result.

Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said via the LIV website:

“Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are the definition of global golfers – having played, and won throughout the world. They are beloved by English golf fans, and anyone attending International Series England is in for a very special week.

"The International Series now regularly welcomes titans of the game, with Patrick [Reed], Eugenio [Chacarra], and Abraham [Ancer] all competing alongside Ian [Poulter] and Lee [Westwood] this August, demonstrating the strength of the Asian Tour right now.”

It's an exciting series with a lot of talent on it, including Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed, and Abraham Ancer. Some of LIV's best will be in the stacked field.

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LIV Golf has been a huge success for Ian Poulter

When Ian Poulter first joined LIV Golf, it was not the brand it is today. Now, it's a viable league that the PGA Tour was forced to reckon with. Having one of their members win a major this year helped that. Now, the two have merged.

Ian Poulter was one of LIV's biggest players

When Poulter first defected, it wasn't as safe a decision (if doing something like that is ever truly safe). He reflected on the decision in Golf Monthly:

“It was diving into the unknown. It was a completely new atmosphere, a completely new product. As the product has grown, you can see the vision behind it.

"We’ve achieved a lot in those 12 months collectively as a group of players and as a group of people behind LIV to create a new product for a younger audience, a slightly different demographic, and an international product. It’s exciting, so being nervous in the first one was understandable, but now it’s a very different feeling.”

It remains to be seen what will happen with LIV and with LIV Golf members once the merger takes shape in 2024, but it has at least been a good run for Ian Poulter to join up.