Ian Poulter looks forward to hosting this week's British Masters
Wednesday 7 October 2015 10:44, UK
Ian Poulter feels Woburn will provide a fitting venue for the return of the British Masters supported by Sky Sports, where he expects a strong field to produce an entertaining week for the large crowds.
Poulter is hosting this week's event at his home venue as the tournament makes its return to the European Tour schedule after a seven-year absence, with the Englishman having fond memories of previous events held at The Marquess' Course.
"This golf course has held so many great tournaments over the years," Poulter told skysports.com. "I'll always remember 1991 when Seve won here and I managed to get one of his golf balls when he came off the 18th green on Sunday.
"I asked him for his ball and he referred me to his caddie, Billy Foster, he threw me one of Seve's balls and I've still got it in my trophy cabinet at home.
"Everything from Senior Tour events to ladies' events to main European Tour events - the greats of the game have all played here.
"The European Tour asked a few players if we were interested in hosting, and a number of them thought it was a great idea. I don't know if we were drawn out of a hat, but I got asked if I'd like to host the first one and I said yes straight away.
"You're always going to get good crowds here. It's a proven tournament for big attendances and this one will be the same."
The tournament's return has attracted a strong field, with former major champions including Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke joined by a host of the season's European Tour winners.
Former world No 1s Lee Westwood and Luke Donald also feature, while Poulter is looking forward to seeing some rising British talent in action this week.
"Not only have we got experience in the field, but we also have a lot of new young players as well which is exciting," Poulter said.
"You get a feeling that with the likes of Danny Willett, Eddie Pepperell, Andy Sullivan and Tyrrell Hatton, there's a lot of good young players coming through.
"You've got a nice mix in the field and it will be a strong tournament. There will be some good names at the top of the leaderboard and it's going to be a hard-fought week.
"Sky Sports Thursday was a huge success, and 15,000 tickets went very quickly. We're looking forward to huge crowds, and in terms of British tournaments, it's great to get this one back on the calendar."
Fully focused
So how will Poulter cope with juggling his commitments as tournament host with bidding for a first title since 2012?
Live European Tour Golf
"I'm obviously going to be busy, but I'm quite a busy person anyway," Poulter added. "With that in mind, I'm trying to make sure I still have enough time to concentrate on my day job in amongst my other commitments.
"It's nice to be able to play the Marquess. It's not the longest of courses by today's standards, so you've got plenty of opportunities to make birdies.
"There's a number of holes you need to play smartly, there's a couple of holes that can easily catch you out, so from that perspective there is a real variety.
"It's relatively generous off the tee. I remember 19 under won the tournament last time it was here, and I'd expect a similar score this year if the weather conditions are decent.
"I'm trying to make sure I get as much done before tournament week, because once I get here I want to win this tournament. It will be superb if I can do the business."
Watch the British Masters live throughout the week on Sky Sports - your home of golf
