Poulter no-show irks rivals

Poulter: Staying Stateside

He seems to have been on a hotline to Nick for a while, but it would have been nice for him to have played here.

Colin Montgomerie on Ian Poulter
Quotes of the week

YOUR RYDER CUP CHANNEL
Sky Sports has got every angle of the 2008 Ryder Cup covered including:
- All the build-up to the big event
- Exclusively live coverage - also in High Definition - of all three days at Valhalla
- Interactive TV options including a live scoreboard, highlights and course guide
- Live scores and commentary through skysports.com
- Expert analysis and reaction
- Extensive highlights of every day's play

Also see

• Sky Sports schedule
• Team profiles
• History
• Valhalla interactive

Ian Poulter's decision to rely on a Ryder Cup wildcard rather than play his way on to the team has not been well received by those players with whom he is in competition.

The Englishman, who finished runner-up at the Open Championship, has opted to remain in America to compete in this week's Deutsche Bank Championship rather than return to these shores to play at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles - the final Ryder Cup qualifying event.

In doing so he has ended any hopes he had of qualifying for Nick Faldo's European team by right.

Potentially a top-five finish at Gleneagles would have been enough to secure him a place, but instead he will be playing in Boston.

That decision does not appear to sit too well with his peers, whilst also sparking speculation that Poulter might have already been informed he has earned one of Faldo's two wildcard picks.

Nick Dougherty, one of the six players who is still in with a chance of qualifying for the team by right, said of Poulter's choice to stay away: "All I can think of is that he's been given the nod."

Darren Clarke, winner in Holland last week and in many people's eyes Poulter's direct rival for one of the wildcard spots, seemed less than impressed by his rivals actions.

Clarke, Montgomerie unimpressed

Speaking ahead of the Johnnie Walker Championship, the Ulsterman declared: "Most of us would have liked to see him trying to qualify.

"He has stated his desire to make the team, so he obviously thinks it's better for him to be over there."

Colin Montgomerie added: "Every player who plays his way into the team makes the team stronger.

"He seems to have been on a hotline to Nick for a while, but it would have been nice for him to have played here.

"I can't really speak for anybody playing or not playing - he has his own schedule."

Indeed, Montgomerie, who still harbours faint hopes of a wildcard himself, was dismissive of Poulter's claims that he stayed in America this week as it was his final chance to complete the 15 events required for membership of the US Tour.

"You might have thought he would have known that before he entered or pulled out of here," the Scot stated.

Poulter's reasoning appears to hold little water anyway given that the US Tour extends to the start of November meaning the Englishman would have six further chances to play his 15th event after the Ryder Cup - the last two of them in Florida, where he has a base.

As a result, speculation is now rife that Poulter has already been informed he has one of Faldo's two picks and has subsequently decided to stay in America in order to try and qualify for the third leg of the lucrative FedEx Cup play-offs.