Ian Poulter issues Masters statement after LIV Golf star spotted at Augusta

Ian Poulter has confirmed he will not be playing at The Masters this year with the Brit’s last feature in the prestigious golf tournament coming in 2021.

LIV Golf player Ian Poulter has confirmed that he will not be participating in the upcoming Masters tournament, despite visiting the event’s base in Augusta and enjoying a round of golf as a guest of a member.

In 2021, the 48-year-old golfer participated in his 16th Masters tournament, achieving three top-ten finishes and nine top-25 finishes. Poulter announced on social media that he will not be competing in The Masters this year.

A member invited me to play at the tournament, and the course was in impeccable condition. The last time I participated in the tournament was in 2021, and it will also be my final competitive Masters. In 2019, I had an opportunity to win but fell short.

However, I have no regrets. Out of the 16 tournaments I played, I achieved 9 Top 25 finishes and only missed the cut once. The Masters is a particularly unique and special event.

Poulter has been involved with the breakaway rebel tour LIV Golf, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, since it started in 2022. The famous Ryder Cup player was among several top golfers who left to join the competing tour.

Discussions are ongoing between LIV Golf, the PGA Tour, and the DP World Tour regarding a potential merger in the future.

But as far as Poulter is concerned, he has no time for LIV Golf detractors performing U-Turns. “Being two-faced is a terrible trait,” he said on social media earlier this year. “I’d be embarrassed having to change my story now and come out and try and look smart. I’m happy to sit down and have it out. I will happily say it as it is. Enough of the b*.”

PGA loyalist Rory McIlroy, who will compete at Augusta this year unlike Poulter, is one of the golf stars who was a fierce critic of LIV Golf in the start, only to slowly backtrack and accept the tour as part of the sport’s future.

“I think at this point, I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV golf at the start, and I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realise that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Wood’s position,” McIlroy conceded.

“We have all become professionals in order to earn a living from playing sports, and I have come to understand this over the past two years.

I cannot criticize others for choosing this path, so if I have any regrets, it would be for being too judgmental in the beginning.”

McIlroy stated that he has spent the past two years adopting an altruistic perspective, viewing the world in the way he desires.

“In the end, you have the freedom to express yourself and take action as you please, but you cannot force others to change their opinions.

People will ultimately make their own decisions regardless of your words.

While I wouldn’t say I have completely given up on fighting against LIV, I have come to terms with the reality that it is now a part of our sport.”