Bubba Watson has offered timely support for Ryder Cup rival Ian Poulter after the European player was criticised for saying he wanted “to kill” the Americans.
Poulter was widely accused of unnecessarily stoking the tension ahead of today’s start to the tournament in front of a raucous, sell-out crowd at Medinah when he said: “There’s something about the Ryder Cup which kind of intrigues me.
“How can you be great mates with somebody, but boy, do you want to kill them in the Ryder Cup? The Ryder Cup means too much to us for it ever to lose that edge.”
Far from being upset by those comments, Watson insisted: “I understand where ‘Poults’ is coming from. I love watching his passion. The guy is great for the game of golf.”
The Masters champion, a surprise omission from the United States line-up for today’s opening round of foursomes, went on: “As a fan of golf, Ian Poulter is an amazing story.
“It’s amazing to hear him talk about where he picked up range balls, how he worked in a pro shop, and now he’s at the Ryder Cup.
“I respect him very much, and I love how passionate he is about winning it.
“That’s the same way our team is. Any golf tournament we play in, we don’t care who we’re playing against, we just want to win.
“If it’s a Masters green jacket, or if it’s a big trophy or a little trophy, we’re trying to win that trophy and so our passion is for that trophy.”
Like Poulter, ‘Blubber’ Watson is known for revealing his emotions on the course and he admitted the tears will flow over the three days of the competition.
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He said: “There’s going to be good shots I’m going to cry about, there’s going to be bad shots I cry about, but hopefully I do everything in a respectful way.
“No player out there from either team is trying to disrespect anybody. It’s just for the love of that little trophy that we want to win, and win for our countries.”
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