Ryder Cup Build-Up: Poulters Cup of good fortune may runneth out

Ryder Cup 'star' Ian Poulter
In his wildcard profile, Romilly Evans predicts that Ian Poulter's charmed Ryder Cup run is about to come to an end
Humans have always been a pattern-seeking breed, desperate to make deductions about the world around them. However, this thirst for explanation has led to some false steps throughout history (the Flat Earth Fan Club is all out of subscribers) which is why we have science to pick up the pieces of our own innate biases and misunderstandings.
Unlike chemistry and physics, golf isn't a perfect science. Lazy theories get bandied around in the faint hope of penetrating an impenetrable game - and seldom are they more in evidence than during Ryder Cup week. Wildcard selection normally provides the hottest topic of debate, as hacks and commentators dissect the potential fault-lines in each captain's pick. But this year renewal of the biennial battle at Medinah has been remarkable only for its lack of controversy.
Which either means Davis Love and Jose Maria Olazabal have chosen wisely, or that everyone is suffering from the same misapprehension. Sport, of course, is all about opinions, so it can never be subjected to the scientific rigours of peer review. That said, it is worth pointing out that even in science has its drawbacks in this regard, usually filed under Sampling Bias. This is the fatal flaw where we notice the hits and disregard the misses along the road to drawing a bad conclusion.
I would argue that sampling bias goes right the heart of the most obvious wildcard pick on either side: Ian Poulter. After a strong performance at his concluding qualifying event, the USPGA, Poults still finished short of an automatic spot. But even if he'd down tools and missed consecutive cuts, he was a lock for Team Europe because of his stellar Ryder Cup record. Ask anyone from Olazabal down to your local pro and they would agree that the Englishman and the Samuel Ryder's trophy go together like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Poults even lets his kids eat their cornflakes out of the cup.
Now I'm not about to bash Poulter's glittering RC CV, which is beyond reproach. He has registered eight wins in 11 matches and was the leading point scorer of either side when the event was last held stateside at Valhalla. However, the notion that matchplay somehow elevates his game is bunkum. True, he won the WGC World Matchplay in 2010 and the European equivalent the following year. But it is equally true, that he has regularly bombed out in the early rounds of both events. So rather than celebrate the hits and disregard the misses, we should resolve that it is matchplay - with its one-off, knockout format contrasting sharply with the typical four rounds of strokeplay - which is the game-changer here. Not Ian Poulter.
But what about at Celtic Manor, where this cocksure campaigner defiantly told the media there was no doubt he'd secure a point for Europe in the singles? Granted, Poults went on to whip Matt Kuchar 5&4 and everyone was again calling him the team talisman. Nevertheless, it's important to note that Poults is regularly given to similar flights of fancy. Some pan out, others don't. He predicted that once he reaches his full potential "it will just be me and Tiger Woods". Rory McIlroy might have something to say about that. He then said Woods has no chance of a top-five finish at last season's Masters. Tiger subsequently charted in fourth place. And more recently before the last round of the BMW, he tweeted that he'd comfortably qualify for the Tour Championship with a round in the low 60s. Poulter was quickly four-over after six holes on the way to a round in the low 70s. More misses than hits there too.
The world number 24 is a very good player who has made the most of his talents, as three top-10s in the year's majors will readily attest. He should be praised accordingly. However, Poulter is far from a great golfer (winless on Tour this year) and has not even performed in the Ryder Cup's format (knocked out in the first round of both World Matchplay events this term).
Maybe Medinah will generate the requisite warm and fuzzies this week, or perhaps his playing partners will help him out of a hole. However, for me, Poulter is one to take on in every scoring market (Top European, Top Englishman, Top Wildcard) where he is consistently priced near the head of the betting. There's an inherent danger to making your name in a fickle format which is no respecter of reputation. And I fear Poulter may soon be hoist by his own petard.