STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
GLENEAGLES, Scotland (AP) — Ian Poulter arrived at the Ryder Cup as the beating heart of the European team and the man the Americans wanted to take down.
It took him nearly two rounds at Gleneagles to live up to his billing.
Poulter chipped in from off the green on No. 15 and made a birdie at the next hole Saturday, inspiring a comeback in the pivotal final match of the morning fourballs.
All his emotions came out — he thumped his chest, he repeatedly pumped his fists, he eyeballed spectators with gritted teeth.
Securing a half point with Rory McIlroy from a see-saw match with Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker kept Europe in front after three sessions.
For the second straight day, though, the off-key Poulter was dropped for the afternoon foursomes. He slipped to his heaviest Ryder Cup defeat in Friday’s fourballs.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
