Strutting his stuff - Ian Poulter

With the ‘wild card' up in the air, you took a brave decision to stay in America and not travel to Gleneagles to play in the final qualifying event for Ryder Cup points – how tough was that decision?
Very tough. In the end it was a decision made not only for me but for my family, because we were all in the States at the time and all the travel back and forth across the Atlantic gets tiring. I knew that Nick [Faldo] was going to have a difficult time choosing his wild-cards, as there were so many good players vying for a place in his team. Darren [Clarke] was obviously playing well at the time, Paul Casey's name was in the frame, and I'm sure Nick had other names floating around in his head. That's the pressure of being captain.

I agonised over my options for a couple of weeks. I wrote down the pros and the cons on a list of paper because that was the only way I could get it all clear in my head. I was highest European player in the world rankings not already guaranteed to be in the side, and I had earned more in the tournaments I had played in than others. I hoped that my performance at Birkdale in the Open had proved where I was with my game, but right up to the moment Nick called me I honestly didn't know whether or not I would make it.

Presumably there was more pressure on you, as a wild card, to perform. Can you put into words the atmosphere standing on that 1st tee?
Well, there are nerves and then there are Ryder Cup nerves! It's actually hard to try and describe it, but the build-up in that week at Valhalla was immense. The match was billed as a great spectacle and I think that came across in the sheer passion and the way everyone played. From a personal point of view, I guess you could say there was a little added pressure, given that I was there as one of Nick's wild cards, and I definitely went out there to prove a point. To be able to go out and play golf for your team-mates gives you such a buzz, and you feed off it. I suppose you could say it's as close as you can get to a Wembley moment, a World Cup final, coming down the tunnel. You have butterflies but you also have a great deal of adrenalin as you head out to that first tee. The noise just hits you. And you don't get that hair on the back of the neck feeling all that often in this game. I did at the Open, when I holed that putt at the 18th on Sunday – a putt I seriously believed might give me a chance to win. That was just very, very special and I'll never forget it. But the wall of noise at a Ryder Cup just pumps you up and you can't get enough. I can't wait for next time. I just have to be on the team.

How do you cope with nerves? Is there a technique?
Again that's hard to explain. You truly have to believe in all the work you have invested on the practice ground, and you have to trust in yourself 100%. After that you run on adrenalin. But above all you have to want that pressure and enjoy it, not fear it. As you suggested a moment ago I was under the spotlight a bit and Nick was very helpful, said some good positive things at the right time. And he picked me for all five matches, so that was a terrific endorsement.

In retrospect, what are your own thoughts on Nick Faldo's captaincy?
I think Nick did a great job captaining a Ryder Cup side. It's always going to be a tough ask, looked upon and scrutinised from all angles from start to finish.

Ultimately it's a shame that as a team we didn't all perform as well as we could have. But you have to take your hat off to the American side and the way they played. It was just incredible golf and to tell you the truth I think we would have found it tough going even if we had all played great. The scoring on Sunday was something like a cumulative 85 under par.

You know, a lot has been made of the speeches and all that stuff. To a large degree Nick's been judged on the result. But it's not easy doing that sort of stuff. Nick is great on TV – I love listening to his commentary for ABC in the States, as he brings so much knowledge to the role. But that's very different to standing up in front of an audience of millions – it would be difficult for most of us. Heck, I get nervous in front of 50. He got a lot of unfair stick – all judged on the result. Nick's a fun guy.

The thing is the press were out with knives sharpened that week. It was unbelievable. And not just for Nick. At my press conference on the Wednesday I came out of the media centre feeling like I had been in the ring with Muhammad Ali. They were merciless, laying into me about my selection, the fact I didn't travel back to try and earn an automatic spot, and the pressure I must be under to deliver – and we're talking two days before the matches get underway.

What's your take on Monty's appointment as the captain for 2010?
Well, we all know Monty has an unbelievable record in the Ryder Cup and everyone respects that – both here in Europe and in America. He's a natural leader, always has been. A seven-time winner of the European Order of Merit and a player with one of the finest Ryder Cup records in the history of the event.What more can you say? I have no doubt he will do a great job and I want to be on his team.

Is he right to stipulate ‘non-playing'?
Time will tell. If he goes out and wins five times then we're going to want him in the side, aren't we? But if that is what he feels, to be the best captain, then that's fine with me and the right way to go.

And after Monty, Ollie?
I certainly hope so. Ollie would be awesome as captain. He made the most eloquent and moving speech in the team room on the Saturday night at Valhalla – it blew us all away. Ollie being Ollie – very personal, very passionate – he simply wanted to get his views across. Remember, we're talking about one half of the all-time strongest pairings in the Ryder Cup, so you listen. He poured his heart into a speech and had us transfixed with what he said about being out there the following day. He was incredible. The dream scenario for 2012? Europe to be defending, Ollie for captain, and Seve back in full health there as his vice.

Has there been a noticeable lack of buzz out on Tour during Tiger's absence?
No, not at all. Tiger is still very visible. He's still world No.1.Whether on TV or in magazines he's always talked about so I don't think there's been a noticeable lack of buzz. I think he's given a lot of people a lot of opportunities to go out and win tournaments. Let's face it, he usually wins 50% of them!When he comes back he will come back stronger than ever. You don't lose the mental edge that he has.

Do you think it's possible the best of Tiger Woods may yet be to come?
The only thing that is certain is that Tiger won't come back until he is 100% ready to play and compete.We have read that he was hitting chips and pitch shots before Christmas, and that he's now moving up through the bag. It's actually quite scary to think what his short game will be like if he's been working mostly on that. He was already the best putter in the world, and he's probably better now. I've seen him a couple of times at Isleworth in recent weeks. I said that he must be enjoying all of this time off to spend with his family, and he just looked at me and said ‘what time off?'. He told me he was in the gym six hours a day – I mean who spends six hours a day in the gym? Scary.

Let's turn to your fashion business, Ian Poulter Design.That must be a challenge in the current economic climate?
Obviously this is going to be a tough year, but when you look at our exposure, where we are pitching the Ian Poulter Design(IPD) range, I think we have the right strategy. This year we have sold the range into 22 countries, which, given the current climate, is pretty good. The design is terrific and the quality of the material is second to none. The tartans, for example, are hand woven in Scotland – not cheap but wonderful quality and they wear really well.We also have some casual trousers this season and a wide range of shorts, plus all the accessories that set it all off. I'm very proud of it.

Do you get involved in the design?
To a degree.With all the travel involved in my job I have plenty of time on my hands and I do sketch ideas that I have, usually based on some style or theme I might have seen somewhere in the world. Mostly for shirts and trousers, trying to imagine the type of style I feel comfortable in and would wear. Our designers pick up on those themes and do the real work. The key to the IPD range is quality – that's something we've worked hard to achieve. I have a passionate team, they all know me pretty well now, and I have total confidence in the design and the way they go out and represent me and the brand. I'm especially proud of the brochure this year. The photographer Steve Read suggested we go out in the streets of London and try to create something a little different. A friend of his is in the met' police and we ‘borrowed' a police traffic patrol lorry for the day, so that I could stand on the flatback and pose while we were holding up the traffic. Some of the images are awesome.

You've just had laser surgery – a success?
So far 100%. I was short sighted with a fairly low prescription, -1.5, and I also had a stigmatism that was never corrected. On the golf course I found it hard to focus in deteriorating light and anyone who's ever worn contacts knows the hassle that can give you, especially in changing conditions. So I decided on the lasik surgery, had both eyes done the same day, and within six hours I was almost perfect. One of them was ultra sharp, the next day they were both perfect. On the eye chart I read the 20:20, the 20:15 and most of the 20:10. On the golf course I see lines better, it's amazing. Hopefully it can only help.