“Unfortunately this says so much” - Ian Poulter slams Ryder Cup for skipping LIV golfer's birthday wishes

ian poullter
Ian Poulter (Image via Getty Images)

Ryder Cup Europe failed to wish their former champion a happy birthday, which irritated Ian Poulter, who vented his rage on Twitter.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia turned 43 on January 9, but Ryder Cup Europe did not make any public posts on his birthday.

Garcia and Poulter are two legendary golfers who competed in the European Ryder Cup before joining LIV Golf last year. It's no surprise that players who joined the Saudi-backed series harmed their relationships with PGA Tour and European Tour officials and were barred from competing in events.

Nonetheless, Sergio Garcia's LIV Golf colleague and good friend, Ian Poulter, tweeted about the ignorant treatment LIV golfers receive from other tours.

On January 10, the Ryder Cup shared a video of Francesco Molinari's incredible shot on their Twitter account. In a comment on the post, Ian Poulter wrote:

"What's really an 'incredible touch' is the Players that helped build the Ryder Cup Europe brand with other players as well. You just can't bring yourself to say a simple happy birthday. Sergio Garcia's B'day Yesterday. Unfortunately this says so much."

Interestingly, the day after Sergio's birthday, Poulter turned 47, but he also did not receive any text from the Ryder Cup.

Around the same time the Englishman tweeted the critical post, LIV Golf shared a post asking people to join them in wishing Ian Poulter a happy birthday.

In their post, LIV Golf said:

"Join us in wishing Poults a happy birthday."

Noticeably, Ian Poulter has an impressive record at the Ryder Cup. He is undefeated in all the singles tournaments played for the cup and has only lost six of the 22 matches he played.


"You're precious, Ian" - Fans react to Ian Poulter's tweet

Ian Poulter's tweet criticizing Ryder Cup Europe created a buzz on the internet. While LIV Golf made the best use of the opportunity and shared a post about his birthday, fans jumped into the comments section of his post to talk about the controversy between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

People talked about the paycheck LIV golfers received for joining the series. Some even mentioned that nobody has forced Poulter or Garcia to join LIV. They wrote:

"You're precious, Ian. Nobody forced you boys to take the Saudi blood money fella."
"Gives you an insight into how much they feel betrayed by what everyone did really doesn't it? Perhaps you can't just have your cake and eat it?"

Others went on to say:

"Another rich guy with bitterness towards his former employee. No one forced you to take the money but you did. Move on, maybe read the room? Enjoy your retirement Tour."
"I was such a fan Poults. Loved what you brought to the game. Did you really have to sell out? Is the blood money that important to you?"
"Do you realise that we were all looking forward to you being a Ryder Cup captain, and because of your actions, that won't happen, and we're all gutted? Enjoy the money, clearly, you hadn't made enough."

Since joining the LIV Golf Tour, Ian Poulter has missed several PGA and European Tour events.

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now