Ian Poulter says he doesn’t want to pay $2.4 Million to play in the Ryder Cup

LIV golfer Ian Poulter recently revealed that he opted out of paying the $2.4 million required to compete in the Ryder Cup. He expressed his confusion over the sanctions placed on LIV Golf players, questioning why playing in LIV events resulted in penalties, while participation in other events was permitted.

Poulter, a seven-time Ryder Cup participant, has been part of five team victories during his career. However, his involvement in the biennial event came to an abrupt halt after he, along with several others, joined LIV Golf.

Initially, all LIV players were banned from both the PGA and European Tours. While players like Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia have recently regained DP World Tour membership, Poulter remains excluded due to his refusal to pay the required dues.

Speaking on the Flushing It Golf podcast, Poulter candidly shared his thoughts on the current Ryder Cup situation.

"If you roll out 14 fines of 100,000 pounds, that's 1.4 million pounds to have the privilege to play, to try and make a Ryder Cup team," he said. "So Sergio is in the position to pay the million plus EOs in fines already, of which obviously live a pain because there's an indemnity policy. And then they will continue to pay 1.4 million next year for him to have the opportunity to play in a Ryder Cup."

Ian Poulter added that he didn't want his business partner to pay 2.4 million pounds to play four events in Europe.

"You're paying to play on a platform to the value of 600,000 per event you might play on another tour," he continued. "How does that even comprehend? I just don't think people know that. And that was because they were never a member of the European Tour and or that they could pay their original fine, which enabled them to be able to be given an invitation.

"So because I was a member for 23 straight years, 24 years, that's to my detriment that I couldn't pay an event because I'm not paying those fines. So look, you know, you've got, look, Justin Rose is playing an Asian series event in Hong Kong this week," he added.

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When did Ian Poulter last play at the Ryder Cup?

Ian Poulter last played in the Ryder Cup squad in 2021 at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin. He competed in three matches, finishing with a 1-2-0 record. Poulter won his singles match but lost in both the foursomes and fourball formats.

Statistically, Poulter's best Ryder Cups were in 2008 and 2012, where he earned four points in each. In 2008, he played five matches and posted a 4-1-0 record, winning his singles match, both fourball matches and one of two foursomes.

In 2012, Ian Poulter delivered an outstanding performance for Team Europe, remaining undefeated throughout the event. He was Europe’s top performer, helping secure a dramatic 14.5–13.5 victory over the US.