Poulter responds to Brandel's criticism.... gets blocked.

poppyhillsguy · May 17, 2017

I have a lot of opinions on golf, but a twitter fight between two grown men doesn't interest me at all.

mukster · May 17, 2017

Brandel certainly gets the TMZ Channel juices of GolfWRX flowing.

Matt J · May 17, 2017

How hard is it to argue that a guy fighting for his card isn't a 'great' of the game.

Tiger, Rickie, Duval, et al. were always playing on winner's exemptions. Poulter was just a week or two away from moving back to the UK.

And water is still wet.

lowheel · May 18, 2017

So then why get defensive and say it was hard out there? basically hes admitting he was playing for position not the trophy. Brandel was actually complimenting him stating he expected him to go for it more based on his career pedigree. He was disappointed Poulter wasnt trying to get the W. I dont see how this is not obvious

Outlier · May 18, 2017

Disagree.....Poulter doesn't come off as any more or less arrogant than the majority of the tour guys I see on the biggest stage(s).

SteelPride · May 18, 2017

You are asking why a guy get defensive as to his play when he's getting called out by a pundit on the Golf Channel?

lowheel · May 18, 2017

Yup. Just shup up and own it. I dont like Brandel but what he said was 100% correct. Were talking about the same guy whos gotten people fired with social media. Look at his press conference at the byron nelson today. Still trying to sell this BS. As an example, I dont like Rickie Fowler but he went out and won that players tackling the toughest shots. Playing to win not place. Poulter didnt regardless of what he says

NoFancyUsername. · May 18, 2017

1. You've never been on any tour trying to earn a living...your response gave it away.

2. You see it as a game, where it actually is employment for the pro.

3. Brandel is a loud mouth fool with no credibility and irrelevant to the world of golf.

4. Poulter got his job done to work next year and the year after.

Mark_888 · May 18, 2017

Brandel Chamblee is the best thing that ever happened to Ian Pouter. Before Brandel's ridiculous rant, Poulter was one of the most hated golfers in the USA (based on his own arrogant personality and because he sunk so many long and important puts in the Ryder Cup, very much unlike how he plays on Tour). But now, Poulter looks like a really nice guy compared to the idiot Brandel Chamblee.

Most of the time, Poulter's strategy of playing conservatively works well on Sunday at a very important tournament, especially on a golf course as difficult and with as much water as Sawgrass. His conservative strategy on the back nine almost worked. It did work for Si Woo Kim, who shot even par on the back nine on Sunday.

BlackDiamondPar5 · May 18, 2017

Poulter is still an Word not allowedhole. He is still immensely disliked in the US considering he's still a thin-skinned, petulant manchild. Most athletes simply ignore negative comments from the media, but not the manchild! Also not sure how many major athletes used their star power to get regular people fired from their jobs like Poulter did either... most just MAN UP and let it go, but not Poulter! He's just a bad person.

new2g0lf · May 18, 2017

I agree that Poulter should own his decision to play for 2nd and not take unnecessary chances chasing Kim who wasn't giving up any strokes. Athletes like to portray that they always go for the win and anything less is cowardly. Poulter could easily said that almost losing his Tour card was traumatic for him and he wanted to ensure this wouldn't be a problem in the future.

Chamblee and others were just upset that the tournament was over once we realized Poulter was playing for 2nd, unless Kim choked. The winner was determined hours before the tournament ended which doesn't make for exciting broadcasts.

bazinky · May 18, 2017

First, let me state that I'm NOT a Poulter fan.

That said, I fail to see how Poulter's strategy/play was something worth calling out. First, you have a young player behind behind you trying to win his first BIG event, still having to play two extremely difficult holes where big numbers are pretty common. Second, Poulter has always been known for his putting, NOT his ball striking. Getting yourself on the green conservatively and trying to make a putt seems like a pretty good strategy given Poulter's game.

Sure, he was primarily relying on the guy behind him to screw up to win, but screw-ups are pretty common at TPC Sawgrass!

driveandputtmachine · May 18, 2017

Someone said SWK was able to play par golf and win. Come on folks, this isn't Augusta, the Players doesn't begin on the back 9 on Sunday. There were less than 10 rounds in the 60's on Sunday. LESS THAN 10, let that sink in. Poulter shot 71, there were ONLY 21 or 22 rounds under par that entire day, the total winning score was 10 under.

This was not the conditions when Rickie birdied everything coming in, these were new fairways, new greens and it was super firm. His play on 12 was a little suspect, 16 he missed his spot by a few feet, 17....Well hitting the green is an accomplishment, even for these guys that day(I believe it was the highest avg score ever on that hole), and 18 is one of the toughest holes they will see all year. Sorry, there was no room to pull off the miracle shot because of the conditions, add in a young guy like SWK trying to win a HUGE tournament and Poulter played it correct. Poulter will never say he expected SWK to drop a few shots because he's young and inexperienced and the conditions were brutal, but I know I did.

MattyO1984 · May 18, 2017

Chamblee is a genius in that he knows that by spouting his, at times, utterly idiotic drivel, he is guaranteeing people talking about him. The more talking time he achieves, the more watchable he becomes because people will tune in to see what he has to say next.

What I would love is if the next time he goes fishing for one of the bigger names if one of them simply shut him down properly. I realise that that is perhaps not how things are done in golf but if they were to figuratively throw an elbow in his direction, it might shut him up for a while. As for blocking Poulter on Twitter, that reveals the guys true character. He can dish it out but he can't take it back. That is pathetic.

RampageGolf · May 18, 2017

I think Poulter played the last 3 holes extremely smart being in the position he was in with his card and being down 2 shots. Although he aimed at the center of the green on 16, and 17 he gave himself long birdie looks which if one drops and SWK bogies any of the last 3 holes he forces a playoff. If he goes aggressive and puts one in the drink hes done.

Obviously the shank on 18 wasn't ideal and showed his nerves got the best of him but that third shot is probably one of the best recovery shots I've ever seen and took a tremendous amount of heart. I cant be mad at a guy for taking a million dollars home to his family and guaranteeing his employment for the next couple years.

Shilgy · May 18, 2017

Low-Poulter probably would not have responded if Chamblee said he was "disappointed". Chamblee slammed him for not firing at the flags on a course that was not rewarding players for doing so. Might be part of why Brandel had a mediocre career. No brain for course management.

flog2 · May 18, 2017

...is not a phrase you come across often the last decade.

lowheel · May 18, 2017

1. Youre dead wrong and arrogant to boot.You know nothing about me. Ive gone from ajga ams to US/midwest to canadian ams to ncaa D2 to tarheel tour to hooters tour to grey goose arizona tour to canadian tour to nationwide tour to monday qualifying pga tour. I make a living in this game. Do you? yeah you probably dont. Dont speak about me if you dont know me.

2. it is a game for somebody like Poulter because he has 35 million in career earnings. Hes not playing for a check at this point. thats why there are champions and compilers. Hes a compiler trying to extend his tour stay which is his right but he shouldnt pretend he left it all out there trying to win because thats obviously a lie to anyone one with functional eyesight.

3. useless to debate this point as i dont like Chamblee but he was 100% right on this point. Youre blind if you dont see it.

4. Wrong again, Poulters card was already locked in for next year a few weeks back therefore he got he job done then. This was his chance to win and get a 5 year exemption and into all the majors. He chose to play it safe and hide behind fake bravado when called out on it. simple

lowheel · May 18, 2017

Heres where i disagree with you. He didnt slam him he simply stated that he bailed on shots which he did. He was encouraging him to be heroic. He disparaged himself in doing so. Re listen to the segment and tell me he was ripping him.

David Duval and Frank Nobilo who disagree with Brandel 24/7 actually agreed with him on this and said the same thing. Nobilo even said id ask him about 3-4 shots he hit that he didnt understand. He hit the worst shot of the day by the field on 16 with a wedge because he was petrified of the risk of the water which isnt even in play with a wedge. Heres the video of it again and tell me with a straight face he wasnt disappointed that Poulter didnt make a a real run. he didnt rip him. I dont like Chamblee but I dont need to take a cheap shot at his playing record in doing so.

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/poulter-takes-issue-with-chamblee-comments/

Psyber · May 18, 2017

Would you say he had a better chance of playing it safe and shooting evening par the back 9 and letting Kim potentially blow up to win this or he had a better chance to win by play aggressive? Because from the looks of it his strategy seemed to make the most sense. More people blew up on Sunday than didn't blow up. I think he wanted to win but he felt his best chance was to play steady and hope Kim makes a mistake instead of aggressively pursuing birdies.

lowheel · May 18, 2017

Fair question but his strategy at the turn had to change a little. I dont like it but I understand his decision on 17 but dont understand 12 and 16. You dont have to be Mickelson level crazy but a little timely aggression and hes right there in a playoff. On 18 his nerves showed and its completely understandable. its happened to all of us especially to us touring pros. im not calling him out for not going for broke, im calling him out for him saying he did which he obviously didnt. Frank Nobilo said the same thing, he didnt understand some of his decisions. Duval said his card was locked up a few weeks back so he should have felt loose not nervous. Just watch the video. It wasnt insulting to poulter at all just very matter of fact disappointment by all 3. Essentially chamblee was saying to David he can still see vividly in his mind duval stuffing his shots coming down the stretch. Basically calling for a Hal Sutton type moment for poulter. i dont think it was out of bounds. Nobilo was being polite saying oh he has 4 kids and a wife so you know... The guy has earned over 40 million $... lets not kid ourselves that he was surviving

Shilgy · May 18, 2017

You may be right about 16. But I would think it would be more about the second shot than the third. He had 238 for his second and hit wedge instead of going for it. Perhaps he did not like the wind or lie but no matter perhaps that shot was timid. On 12 he hit a poor second shot. Hit the same tee shot as Louie O but did not hit a good wedge in. Speaking of Louie. Why does Chamblee not slam him as well then? Poulter hits it to 35 feet and is bailing out on 17. Louis hit it to 47 feet and nary a peep?

As to the other guys like Duval and Sutton "going for it". C'mon. You play for a living. Would you not agree that the conditions in those respective years were a bit different? Does it not matter that some years the course played softer? No one was being rewarded Sunday for aggressive play. Carnage was the result. Each player that scored well picked a style that would result in his lowest score at the end of the tournament. One guy beat Poulter and yet Chamblees venom disappointment goes there?

Mark_888 · May 18, 2017

Playing safe makes the most sense at majors, and also at the Players (because it is important and on a difficult course). I am sure that a statistical analysis would prove that, aside from the fact that it worked for both Poulter and Kim on Sunday.

Nicklaus has said that winning majors is easier for him than winning other tournaments, because at majors the other players are usually so nervous they almost always collapse at the end. Lots of water on back 9 of Sawgrass.

cardoustie · May 18, 2017

They need this event to be less US Open like

Shilgy · May 18, 2017

But then the winning score will be -20 under and guys will post that in a big event they need to be "tested".

DatSliceDoe · May 18, 2017

Chamblee is as arse. Poults is a drama king. Great combo.

lowheel · May 18, 2017

Its always weather related though... tough to manage even when you move the date. maybe next year they can control the greens as they will be 2 years old now and will settle down. no more trampoline effect so to speak.

lowheel · May 19, 2017

Great question about 16. I actually didnt give him grief for laying up when a hybrid easily puts him 45-70 feet left of the pin with a chip or putt for eagle. there was no risk of going in the water from there. I understood and respected his decision based on the lie or wind but as a pro at that yardage you choke down an inch on a 5 wood/hybrid and you pinch one out there 225-235 99 times out of 100. he didnt and thats fine but then to hit a scared wedge shot like that? that was no pull he was lined up right there. that was it for me and i understood immediately why duval nobilo and chamblee questioned that. As for Louis, when you have lapped a field in a major and lost another 2 in a playoff you get the benefit of the doubt because Louis wasnt on his game saturday or sunday, Poulter was though. Louis wasnt playing scared he was just a little wild. A lesser player than Louis blows up and shoots 80 both saturday and sunday. His pedigree kept him in there.

As for the year Sutton won in 2000 ill concede the conditions were soft however he stared down flags and prime year 2000 tiger all day and delivered gutsy shot after gutsy shot. When Duval won in 1999 it was total carnage. I think on the weekend David was the only guy under par and never let up. Guys like this year were shooting 80s and he didnt blink.

So you see in the end I didnt expect poulter to go full tiger/phil balls to the wall however there is controlled aggression and there are 3-4 times a round where a decision is made that can alter your score good or bad.

I think where we disagree is that I believe that chamblee duval and nobilo believe poulter has it in him to pull off 2-3 shots down the stretch to alter the tourney but declined to do so for the reasons stated. It wasnt a hit job but truly disappointment that he didnt push a little more. Basically cheering for a heroic moment.

I did the exact thing last summer in 2 straight events i played the last 9s in back to back weeks to place for money to cover my expenses as I had an injury the months prior so no real money coming in. A 1400$ & 2800$ check did me alot of good and freed me up so in the fall i gambled at several events . I was tied for 7th at the turn on the last day and could have mailed it in an made similar money. I went for both par 5s and both had water all around and 16 was a par 3 218 pin left water left and carved one in there to 6 feet for birdie to put me 1 back. Marshall told me prior to me the closest ball on the 16th through 49 players was 35 feet. I missed a 22 footer on 18 to get into a playoff but i tuned a 7th/8th place finish into a outright 2nd. I didnt pretend that i was trying to win the 2 events in the summer though but was definitely going all out to win the big money fall one. I gambled because the payoff would be huge and it was. It got me into a few things for this upcoming summer so sometimes you got to let go and get a little aggressive,but thats just my opinion. I just dont understand how Poulter gets bent out of shape by hearing the truth. Ive never defended Chamblee before but i felt the need to do so on this point.

Look at the masters this year, Garcia went after it he didnt back down. He could have mailed it in and collected an outright 2nd etc... but a champion emerged. i know different course and conditions however its an attitude.You either have it or you dont. Playing on mini tours teaches you 1 thing put up or shut up.

As a comparable, I saw Angel Cabrera at the 2007 presidents cup ( the summer he won the us open at oakmont) and spent some time with him over the 2 practice days. I immediately told my friend(also a touring pro) after watching him play and practice and his overall attitude that this guy will win a few more majors. my buddy thought i was wasted for thinking that. i said this guy has "it". that confident glow, fearless attitude. My buddy was saying hes not consistent enough, maybe a flash in the pan, etc.. i said no this guy has all the shots will hit driver anywhere maybe his putter is suspect but i could see this guy win a masters. My friend laughed at me but then the rest is history. I never got that vibe from Poulter. A few backdoor top 10s in british open wont change that. Good career, ryder cup success and alot of $ but maybe the stage was too big and my expectations along with Brandels/Duvals/Nobilos were too high for him?

Either way why hes doubling down i dont know but hey its not my problem. Ive been there at a far smaller stage and know when im playing for $ or trophy. Im honest about it.

SteelPride · May 19, 2017

Low-wheel: how do you know Poulter "isn't playing for a check at this point"? Are you his accountant? His broker? His personal planning lawyer?

Don't speak about someone unless you know them.

ChrisNH · May 19, 2017

The whole point is that he WAS playing for a check/points and not to win it. You're making Chamblee's argument. A guy with multiple Ferraris and $30+million in earnings doesn't need the money to buy groceries for his hungry kids, but still he was playing conservatively to maintain position instead trying to win. Great players don't do that. Ryder Cup heroes shouldn't be able to hold their head high after shooting at the middle of greens with wedges coming down the stretch of a major, and non-thinkers on message boards shouldn't defend them and bash TV analysts for correctly pointing it out.

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Poulter responds to Brandel's criticism.... gets blocked.

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