Ian Poulter stunned at 存在 早期に birdie in Arizona for defence of his Match Play 肩書を与える

By Derek Lawrenson for MailOnline
Updated: 01:02 BST, 23 February 2011

Defending 支持する／優勝者s usually return to the scene of their greatest 勝利 garlanded with 賞賛する and with resounding 賞賛 （犯罪の）一味ing in their ears. Ian Poulter will return to his today with his ears wrapped under a beanie hat, not to 保護する them from the noise but the 死なせる／死ぬing 冷淡な.

Poulter had in his mind’s 注目する，もくろむ a warm Arizona welcome in every sense to begin the defence of his Accenture Match Play 選手権. Instead, he will be first out against former Open 支持する／優勝者 Stewart Cink at the unearthly hour of 7.25am, and so his defence could be over before most fans have turned up.

As 侮辱ing gestures go, sending your 支持する／優勝者 out first, when the 予報するd 気温 of 37 degrees might 最高の，を越す the 観客 count, takes some （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域ing. It wouldn’t happen to Tiger, would it?

Centre of attention: Ian Poulter is defending his 肩書を与える at The Ritz-Carlton ゴルフ Club in Arizona

‘宗教上の s***!’ was Poulter’s disbelieving reaction when he saw the draw. ‘I must 収容する／認める, I wasn’t 推定する／予想するing that,’ he said. ‘How many people will be watching at that time? It’s going to be 冷淡な. I mean, I’m a Floridian these days.’

Poulter 計画（する）s to 扱う／治療する this match like it was Friday at the Ryder Cup, and he will need every bit of a feverish imagination to 想像する 40,000 fans lining both 味方するs of the fairway.

‘I love this 18-穴を開ける 判型 because it’s like the Ryder Cup in that you’re very switched on from t he start,’ he said.

‘My problem in strokeplay tournaments is that I’m easily distracted but you know you can’t be like that in this 削減（する）-throat 判型 if you want to 生き残る to play another day. You want to get rid of your 対抗者 as quickly as possible, and I love the challenge of it.’

Poulter won the トロフィー after an all-English final against Paul Casey and believes the British game is now so strong ‘it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if we saw something 類似の again this year’.

最高の，を越す man: England's 物陰／風下 Westwood continues to sit pretty on 最高の，を越す of the 最高位のs

His match against Cink is one of no より小数の than 10 that will 炭坑，オーケストラ席 the best of America against the best of Europe. The 選ぶ is perhaps Tiger 支持を得ようと努めるd against Thomas Bjorn, and guess what ― that one doesn’t tee off at anything remotely like 7.25am.

Bjorn got into this event 儀礼 of his 最近の 勝利，勝つ at the Qatar Masters that propelled him into the world’s 最高の，を越す 64, but he didn’t sound like a man who considered it a blessing.

‘I know 物陰／風下 Westwood is the world No 1 and deservedly so given the way he has played,’ he said. ‘But, at any given time, there’s a player you don’t want to play and when Tiger’s on, there is nobody better.

Casey, beaten finalist the last two years, didn’t know the 身元 of his first-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 対抗者 until he pitched up on Monday ― it’s the Australian left-hander, Richard Green ― which probably made him unique.

‘I just don’t see the point in thinking about the permutations of who you play next when you 港／避難所’t even won your first-一連の会議、交渉／完成する match,’ he argued. ‘That’s just wasted energy to me.’

It was fun for the 残り／休憩（する） of the field, like world No 4 Graeme McDowell, who 再開するs here after a month’s break against American ヒース／荒れ地 Slocum. That inveterate ゴルフ nut Rory McIlroy, who opens against American Jonathan Byrd, could even tell you most of the matches that will take place in the other half of the draw to himself.

Even Padraig Harrington, whose lifelong 熟考する／考慮する of sports psychology makes him a real ‘one 発射 at a time’ disciple, couldn’t resist looking beyond his match today against twice former 支持する／優勝者 Geoff Ogilvy.

Casting his 注目する，もくろむ 負かす／撃墜する his section featuring not only 支持を得ようと努めるd and Bjorn but also Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, he （機の）カム up with an astute 観察.

‘At a poker （米）棚上げする／（英）提議する with eight people you’re looking for the sucker,’ he said. ‘But you look at this group and there isn’t one.’

Indeed, it is hard to 位置／汚点／見つけ出す one throughout the draw. With the world No 1 playing the 64th 階級d player, second playing 63rd and so on, you might think the 主要な pair of 物陰／風下 Westwood and ツバメ Kaymer might have it 公正に／かなり 平易な today.

But, given the 予測できない nature of 18-穴を開ける matchplay, would anyone be surprised if Westwood lost to Henrik Stenson, or the brilliant young Korean Seung-yul Noh took out Kaymer?

‘I’m wondering what Friday is like at this tournament,’ was Westwood’s wry 返答, casting his 注目する，もくろむ 負かす／撃墜する his modest 記録，記録的な／記録する in this event.

First things first, and today’s fascinating 開始 一連の会議、交渉／完成する. If you watch only one 開始 一連の会議、交渉／完成する in ゴルフ this year, make it this one.?