Tiger Woods’ feud with ‘annoying’ Ian Poulter reignited at Masters 2019 and inspired his historic win – The US Sun

“ANNOYING”. A ‘D***’ who hitchhiked his £42.5million private jet and the man who had the audacity to wear the same color as him.

For Tiger Woods, stepping onto the first tee at Augusta with Ian Poulter in 2019 was more than just golf, it was rekindling a deep-seated feud that spanned years.

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And it was victory in that third-round fight that paved the way for Woods to complete one of the sport’s greatest comebacks and become the Masters champion for a fifth time.

In a new book, The Second Life of Tiger Woods, author Michael Bamberger recounts the day last year when Woods and England Ryder Cup legend Poulter clashed in Augusta.

He says that “Tiger likes to hit everyone, but he likes to hit some golfers more than others.”

To understand this contradictory relationship, we have to go back a few years.

In 2008, Poulter infamously claimed that when he played well, only he and Woods mattered in the golfing world.

He said: “The problem is, I don’t judge anyone.

“Don’t get me wrong, I really do respect any professional golfer, but I know I haven’t reached my full potential and when that happens it will just be me and Tiger.”

Poults, who was mocked for the remark, was ranked No. 22 in the world at the time and was ripped by pal Lee Westwood, who dubbed him “number two”.

Before that, Woods’ former coach Hank Haney ignited the touchpaper in his memoir when he revealed what happened when fan favorite Poulter boarded Woods’ private jet seemingly uninvited in 2007.

Haney claims Woods, who was sitting right in front of it, texted him saying, “Can you believe that d*** cheated a ride on my plane?”

When asked about the incident, Poulter said, “The book has nothing to do with me and I have no interest in commenting on it.”

Putting a lid on it served only to simmer the tension.

Bamberger suggests being drawn with Poulter—whom the author finds “annoying, too cheeky, too loud” according to Woods—Last year Woods was at boiling point again.

That was apparently made worse when Poulter showed up for the third round in purple pants and collided with Woods’ purple shirt.

The attire that a player will wear during Masters week is determined well in advance of the event.

It’s thought such a small detail started a fire in Woods – who fired a five-under 67 shot at Poulter’s 68 on the day.

The duo also played together a year earlier, but unlike 2019, they were both miles out of competition.

Speaking about that moment, Poulter said to his credit that he knew Woods, the predator, was just waiting to pounce.

He said: “He was ready, he had all the shots and he was damn good. He had more of his game together than a year earlier, by a mile.

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“There was a buzz there all day Saturday. He was fun to play with, but you could tell he was lurking.”

How right that should be, as Woods held on to a one-shot win the next day to seal his comeback after a sex scandal, an arrest for DUI and four debilitating back surgeries.

Crazy to think that flashy pants might have contributed to that.