Poulter against Woods at Chevron World Challenge
The Chevron World Challenge will kick off at Sherwood Country Club, to mark the PGA tour close. Despite being an event hosted by Tiger Woods, the veteran will not win it; The punter, who will possibly grab the
trophy, is the worst rival of Woods and he is Ian Poulter.
Ian Poulter, who hails from England, is the number one threat to Tiger Woods. This is what the self-acclaimed number one believes. Poulter made a statement last year that Tiger Woods should consider him, as his
worst adversary and hence the biggest threat.
The world number eight wanted to override the former world number one, but Lee Westwood stole the opportunity from him. However, another opportunity has landed on Poulter’s footsteps and he will not let it slip
this time. The 34-year-old has travelled from the other side of the Atlantic to compete in the event. The Chevron World Challenge has $ 5 million on offer, out of which $1.2 million will go in the winner’s cap. The difference of a million can push Tiger Woods
back on the throne or either ways.
What are the possibilities that Tiger would lose and Poulter will win? The answer to this question lies in the form of the two players. Poulter has been on foot since a month without a break: he went to Shanghai
for the HSBC Champions and finished 13th. A week later, he took a plane to Singapore and wrapped the last round at fourth place. After that, the veteran flew to Hong Kong and declared a victory to be followed by a runner-up finish in Dubai.
On the other hand, Woods entered the HSBC Champions with frail form, but finished with a share in the top sixth. With a gap of a week, the former world number one finished fourth in the JB Were Masters in Australia.
Both the punters look strong and ready for the battle with regard to their form.
However, Poulter seems to demonstrate an edge with the tree-lined course. The Englishman conquered the Hong Kong Golf Club with such ease that Thousand Oaks, which symbolizes 1,800 mature oak trees, will not be
a problem.
According to Poulter, “I like this golf course. I like the way you do not have to hit driver on all these holes. There is a lot of positional play. It is quite clever with these pin positions. You need to hit it at the right levels
because if you don't, you're going to leave yourself some very tricky two-putt 30-footers."
Poulter is a member of the Woburn Country Club where he finished second in the British Masters. The course was similar to Sherwood, which is stretched on 7,027 yards and is tree-lined. According to Poulter, he grew-up while teeing
on tree-lined fairways, thereby any course with strong pin positions and trees gives him a feeling of being at home. Various examples include the Royal Dar-Es-Salam, Olgiata, Valderrama, and the Phoenix Country Club.
Meanwhile, Woods who started this tournament in 1999 in collaboration with his foundation has not been to the course since two years. In 2008, the player suffered from a knee injury, whereas, a car accident on the night of Thanks-giving
restricted his appearance in the 2009 Chevron World Challenge. The world number two has nearly forgotten the strategies behind a perfect game on tree-lined courses and hence it will not be easy for him to take Sherwood CC down.
Form and relevancy with the course gives way to Ian Poulter as being the possible winner of the event, which is the last resort for Tiger Woods to end his win-less seasons. However, there are many other strong players on the field
such as Luke Donald and Paul Casey, who have a fair idea of American courses as well. Chances are that one of the two might stand alongside Poulter to make Woods’ experience unpleasant.
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