London: Ian Poulter has a throat infection, is full of cold and finds himself continually reliving the magical moments of Medinah “in slow motion in my mind”.
It is fair to assume Europe’s Ryder Cup hero is not 100 per cent ready for his return to individual competition in Shanghai next week.
Yet return to what he calls “the day job” he must. There is a living to be earned and a first title of the season to win. Poulter recognises the urgency to shake off the metaphorical hangover and return to what he does second best.
“Almost three weeks on and, honestly, I still haven’t completely recovered, either physically or emotionally,” he croaked.
“I’ve been drained and am run down, as my voice probably proves. I’ve had the last 10 days off and I’m just trying to take on as much sleep as possible in the next few days before I have to take that 15-hour flight to China.”
Yes, it’s a long way from Orlando to Shanghai, from the 39th Ryder Cup to the second BMW Masters; both in geographical and sporting terms. “It’ll be tough to reacclimatise,” he said.
“There’ll be no adrenalin rush, no excitement from the crowd, no team-mates to high-five. But this is what I do for 52 weeks of every two-year cycle.
“I know I said straight afterwards that I’ll check out for two years and see you all at the next Ryder Cup. But it was only a joke, you know. I need to pay for me and my family’s lifestyle and the best way to do that is win golf tournaments.”
So is it back to the production line? Not quite. Lake Malaren Golf Club will ensure Poulter and the other golfing heavyweights will receive the customary seven-star treatment with a $2 million (Dh7.34 million) first prize, the largest in golf, up for grabs. And in that sense to label it “mundane” would be grotesquely perverse.
Yet there is a clear distinction as far as Poulter is concerned.
“This is my day job, and it is a job because that’s what I chose as a path to earn my money to support my family,” he said.
“Now, I don’t know what I see the Ryder Cup as, but certainly not as my job. It comes straight from the heart, it’s pride, it’s passion. It has nothing to do with money and, when it hasn’t anything to do with money, for some reason it means a lot more.
“That’s interesting because most of my critics, when they have a go, it’s because they say it’s all about the money with me. Yet the one week when it means nothing in terms of monetary value is the week when I play my best golf. So it kind of turns that theory on its head, doesn’t it?”
Poulter is not daft, however. No doubt the dollar signs do not enter that cranium as it threatens to pop the eyes from their compartments and contorts the countenance into that picture of wild delirium. But deep down he knows what this is doing for his brand. The aftermath alone would have told him so.
“I was stunned, overwhelmed by how much of the attention focused on me,” said Poulter, who won all four of his games at Medinah.
“When you’re involved with the team, you are the team and don’t want to take anything away from them. “But I suppose what happened on Saturday night [when he birdied the last five holes to close the gap to America to 10-6] was a big turning point and that’s why there’s been so much interest in me. That and the way I responded, I guess.”
He guesses correctly. If it was Poulter’s great pal Justin Rose performing miracles — and holing three putts of six metres and over in the last three holes to beat a certain Phil Mickelson verged on the wondrous — then the reaction would not have been nearly as concentrated. Poulter is the everyman of golf and, like the everyman, loves his football and brings the old terrace rapture to the greens.
“I had so many messages to get through it was unbelievable,” he said. “I don’t know where to start with them.”
Tens of Premier League footballers sent texts as did several Olympians and high-profile figures from the world of Formula One, rugby union and cricket.
“It’s gratifying that you not only brought pleasure to so many fans but to so many other sportsmen and women,” Poulter said. “That means a lot.”
Even the vanquished were positive. “I’ve run into many Americans in the Bahamas and the golf club here at Lake Nona and all of them, and I mean all of them, have had nothing but nice things to say. It’s amazing, even on Twitter the abuse has dropped off. I know I polarise and can tell that by my daily Twitter figures. I gain about 800 new followers on average — and lose about 300.
“Well, during the Ryder Cup on the Friday I got 12,500 new followers, on the Saturday 34,000 and on the Sunday 111,000 - and I only lost a handful. Look at it on a graph. It’s one line and then one enormous spike. That shows what the Ryder Cup means to people.”
Further proof is provided by the betting lists for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. While Poulter is as low as a 25-1 fifth favourite with one bookmaker, the most miserly odds on Rory McIlroy are 80-1.
“That’s very flattering, even though Bradley Wiggins has it taped up and I have absolutely no chance,” Poulter said. “Think about it: Rory is 23, has just won his second major in a year when he has won three other big, big PGA Tour titles to establish himself as the clear No 1. And I haven’t won yet in 2012.”
The “yet” should be capitalised in Poulter’s opinion. The 37 year-old is rather proud of the fact that he has failed to pick up a title in only one of his 13 years as a Tour pro. That was 2005.
“I want to keep the streak going. I’m full of confidence. I’ve played four times since the Ryder Cup; shot level in 40mph winds in the Bahamas and got 26 birdies in the other three rounds.
“Once my energy is restored I know what I’m capable of. Somehow I’ve got to translate the form I show in the Ryder Cup into my individual game. I’ve got five events left this year and am determined to knock at least one of them off.”
And if he does will he give us another rendition of “the Poulter stare”? “No way,” he said. “That only comes out once every two years.”
