PAUL LAWRIE NOT A FAN OF IAN POULTER FIST-PUMPING HISTRIONICS

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By JAMES CORRIGAN 
Paul Lawrie reveals in his recent autobiography that he found Poulter’s winning reactions to be “unprofessional”, “rude” and “disrespectful” in his celebrations when losing to him at a tournament in Rome. The actual incident happened a decade ago, but still figures large enough in Lawrie’s memory to merit a mention in An Open Book. Certainly, it’s not in the Scot’s nature to have behaved anything like so animatedly when winning the 1999 Open at Carnoustie in a play-off with Jean van de Velde and Justin Leonard.

“I wasn’t rude to either of the guys I had just beaten,” writes Lawrie. “I didn’t shout and scream and ­celebrate right in their faces. I would never be unprofessional, unlike a certain English player I could mention.

“In the Italian Open of 2002, I played the last round with Ian ­Poulter. I was one ahead playing the 18th but drove way out of bounds . I eventually made six and Ian made a three. So he won by two.

"That’s fine. I can handle that... But I did think his fist pumping and shouting and bawling on the green was disrespectful to me as an opponent.”
Lawrie was no doubt as glad of Poulter’s competitive spirit at the Ryder Cup as the US team were in awe. Poulter was determined to live up to their perception of him and yell his way to a played four, won four record. 
 “I was a marked man in Chicago,” he said here on Wednesday.
“They wanted to shut me up – plain and simple. Everyone knew that and they couldn’t do it. I guess I frustrate certain people in that format [matchplay]. Hopefully I ‘m going to be in the same situation if I’m coming down the stretch in a major.”
In other words, Poulter plans more of the overt celebrating, not less. He does not wish to show disrespect to any of his peers – he has been accused enough of that in the past – but he does intend to recreate his Ryder Cup intensity in the individual arena.
That is the obvious challenge as far as the player ranked 13 in the world is concerned and one which he believes he is on the road to ­addressing.
Having been winless for the year before the biennial dust-up, Poulter has racked up a fourth place, a win and a runners-up position.
Today he tees it off in the DP World Tour Championship with another all-action, ultra-focused performance in mind. “After every Ryder Cup I’ve played I’ve tried to find out why I can flick that switch at certain times and why, obviously at certain times that switch doesn’t go on,” he said. “I know I’m dangerous if I have that right frame of mind.”
He proved as much at Mission Hills, China, three weeks ago when claiming his second World Golf Championship trophy.
After a fine performance at the preceding BMW Masters in Shanghai he carried the form on to last week’s Australian Masters, where only Adam Scott stood between him and the first back-to-back wins of his career. It has been an exciting time for the 37 year-old, who could just be at a turning point.
“Why shouldn’t I produce week-in week-out what I do at the Ryder Cup,” Poulter said. “ I guess I have done the last three events and we’ll just have to see how long I can keep doing it for.”
If the answer is for the next four days then the £840,000 first prize here would likely secure him a £410,000 bonus for finishing second in the Order of Merit behind Rory McIlroy (who is guaranteed the Harry Vardon Trophy), as well as hurtling him back into the world’s top 10.
“I feel like I can end the year on a high note,” said Poulter. Indeed, it might almost be worth a fist-pump or two.