Thursday 14 January 2016 14:39, UK
Ian Poulter is relishing the role of getting Europe's EurAsia Cup campaign underway on Friday.
Poulter has been paired with Open de France champion Bernd Wiesberger for the opening Friday morning fourball in Kuala Lumpur, looking to continue his impressive record in team matchplay.
The 40-year-old has earned the nickname of the 'Postman' for constantly delivering match-winning performances in Ryder Cups, picking up 13 points from his five tournament appearances to help Europe to four victories.
Poulter now has the chance to impress Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke and get the visitors off to a winning start in Malaysia as Europe look to lift the EurAsia Cup trophy for the first time after the inaugural event ended in a 10-10 tie in 2014.
"The reason why I certainly like the Ryder Cup and obviously this format is because it's the purest form of golf. It's match play," Poulter told a pre-tournament press conference on Thursday. "You see your opponent right in the face and you can go out there and you can make a difference.
"You can hole a chip shot; you can hole a bunker shot; you can hole a long putt; you can turn a match around. In stroke-play events, that doesn't really happen, but in match play, it does.
"The second you hit that first tee shot, you want to get your opponent off the golf course as soon as possible. This format really excites me.
"This EurAsia Cup is something that means a lot to both teams and it certainly means a lot to these European players."
Although eight of the European squad have never featured a Ryder Cup and all-bar Victor Dubuisson are making their EurAsia Cup debuts this week, there's still plenty of experience in Clarke's side.
2010 Ryder Cup winner Ross Fisher is keen to demonstrate his matchplay skills having missed out on European qualification in 2012 and 2014, while Lee Westwood looks to increase his chances of a 10th consecutive Ryder Cup appearance.
Westwood needed a tied-second finish at last month's Thailand Golf Championship to end 2015 inside the world's top 50, but is pleased with his form heading in to his first event of the New Year.
"I'm really looking forward to it," Westwood told Sky Sports News HQ. "I think we've got a good, strong young side. I imagine it'll be close again.
"I think Darren (Clarke) picked me and Ian Poulter for bit of experience. I've always been pretty good in the hot climates and countries here in Asia.
"I'd say it (the climate) gives the Asian team the slight advantage. We've got to play well and we can't really count our chickens, as the Asian team are pretty strong and they're going to come out firing."
Watch the EurAsia Cup throughout the week live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf. Live coverage begins on Friday from 12.30am.
