Ian Poulter calls himself a 'complete idiot' while recalling his actions at The Players 2004

Modified Mar 18, 2025 05:05 GMT

The Players Championships - Source: Getty — Ian Poulter at the Players Championship 2004 (Photo By: Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

Ian Poulter recently took a trip down memory lane, recalling throwing his golf ball into the water at the Players Championship 2004. The English player, now a member of LIV Golf, reflected on the incident on X after Golf Digest shared a clip of the bizarre moment.

In the clip, after an unsuccessful attempt at a birdie putt, Poulter attempted to swipe his ball up from the green. However, he flung the ball straight into the water hazard.

As per golf rules, a player must finish the hole with the same ball or it would result in a two-stroke penalty. Poulter's physiotherapist, Kam Bhabra came to his rescue and searched for the submerged ball. Luckily, the ball was found and Poulter completed the round without any penalty.

Responding to Golf Digest's clip, Poulter wrote on X:

What a complete idiot. Swiped it up in anger and I didn’t have hold of it properly. Glad Kam my physio at the time was walking around and agreed to go searching for it. Saved me a lot of money so purchased he and his wife a couple of nice watches"

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This isn't the first time the Poulter has reacted to the moment from the Players Championship. In responding to the PGA Tour's clip of the moment in 2021, Poulter wrote:

"Note to self... don’t swipe balls up in anger at @THEPLAYERSChamp"

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Ian Poulter tied for 33rd at the Players Championship 2004. He scored 70, 73, 71 and 74 in the four rounds to finish at even par. The tournament was won by Adam Scott.

A look at Ian Poulter's record in his golf career

Ian Poulter turned professional in 1995. He initially played on the Challenge Tour before advancing to the European Tour in 2000. He joined the PGA Tour in 2005 but has kept playing on both the tours.

In 321 tournaments on the PGA Tour, he has made 250 cuts with three wins, 23 top-5 finishes and 52 top-10 finishes. His total earnings from the PGA Tour are $28.2 million. Poulter has had 12 wins on the European Tour and has won €27,227,024 ($29.6 million) on the European Tour.

Let's take Ian Poulter's best performances in golf: