AUGUSTA — Golfer Ian Poulter insists he will trust his instincts rather than seek the help of a Masters mentor at Augusta starting tomorrow.
Defending champion Charl Schwartzel sought the wisdom of six-time champion Jack Nicklaus last year, while three-time winner Nick Faldo recently bemoaned the fact none of his countrymen have asked for his advice.
But Poulter, who is “95%” recovered from the pneumonia he suffered last month, said: “It is hard to take advice from someone with a very different game and a very different mindset to you.”
He told BBC Sport: “If you try to put yourself into the mindset of someone else you could potentially struggle. I’m not Jack. I’m not Nick Faldo, I’m not Seve. I’m me.”
The 36-year-old’s best Masters finish was tied 10th in 2010, and he tied for 27th last year on his seventh visit to the Augusta National.
Poulter, now ranked 24th after a career-high fifth following his WGC Match Play win in 2010, clinched the Australian Masters in November before taking January off for the birth of his fourth child. The Englishman was forced to pull out of the Honda Classic after being diagnosed with pneumonia in early March, but he bounced back to finish third behind Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational later in the month. —BBC Sport
