Everything seemed to be looking up for Ian Poulter on Saturday at the WGC-Dell Match Play. A top finish would get Poulter within the top-50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, earning him a spot in the Masters in two weeks. Then came his quarterfinals match against Kevin Kisner.
Kisner shockingly dusted Poulter (who had won all of his matches to that point, including a 2 and 1 win over Louis Oosthuizen in the morning) with a final score of 8 and 6. The match didn’t even make it to the 13th hole.
That’s where things get weird. Still smarting from his loss, Poulter tweeted Saturday night that “Golf Channel, The Media, @EuropeanTour” had told him after his morning match that he’d earned himself a coveted spot in the field at Augusta, and then minutes before he teed off for his match against Kisner he was alternately told, “sorry points weren’t correct your[sic] not in yet.”
Just to let you know.. I am not in the Masters, I was told after this mornings round that I was in the Masters by Golf Channel, The Media, @EuropeanTour, 10 minutes before I tee’d off this afternoon I was told sorry points weren’t correct your not in yet. #DisappointingMistake
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) March 24, 2018
It appears Poulter is implying that this alleged mix-up is partly responsible for his ugly performance in the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon. The Tour veteran and Ryder Cup start initially received a mixed response from his followers on Twitter.
It has been reported that with his exit in the fifth round, Poulter is projected to be ranked No. 51 in the OWGR, one spot short of earning a Masters exemption.
