Ian Poulter blasts Bethpage Black: ‘The worst course setup I have ever played’

A number of golfers struggled during Sunday’s final round at The Barclays, many of whom had later tee times. After several hours of sunshine, the greens at Bethpage Black became very dry and hard. There were signifcantly more three-putts than we are used to seeing from a Tour event, and many players were not shy about blaming the course conditions for their misfortunes. After finishing the afternoon with a 76, Ian Poulter was easily the most vocal.

“I’ve got to tell you, they (screwed) up today,” Poulter said after the tournament according to the Golf Channel. “Royally (screwed) up. Look at how many guys have had a bad day, and there’s a lot of guys that had a bad day. You know, (hole) eight, especially, is the worst I’ve ever seen on Tour. Eight was worse than Shinnecock. How about that? How about that for a statement? They have lost it.

“There’s supposed to be cloud cover, there wasn’t cloud cover. I don’t want to use that as an excuse. Fact is, the greens have barely got double-digit moisture in them. That is borderline unplayable on a golf course that simply plays as the longest course on Tour, pretty much. Right? Par 71. It’s the longest 71 we play. So therefore you’re going in with even more club than any other course we play. Elevated greens. Rock hard. That is an absolute recipe for disaster. You can quote me on all that stuff.”

And quote him we will. In addition to the interview, Poulter also shared the following tweet: “The worst course setup I have ever played in 13 years on tour. They have ruined what is a great course, greens like concrete (and) stupid pins (setups).”

While the course conditions were obviously not ideal, it’s important to remember that someone (Nick Watney) did shoot well enough to win the tournament. Several other players also shot in the 60s during the final round, so not everyone struggled. Poulter may have a legitimate gripe, but saying it publicly simply makes you sound like a sore loser.

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