“This is a parody fake account” - LIV golfer Ian Poulter reacts to Rory Mcllroy’s fiery comment on Henrik Stenson

Ian Poulter took a sarcastic dig at Rory McIlroy after the latter called Henrik Stenson leaving for LIV Golf the best thing that happened to the European Ryder Cup squad.

On Thursday (December 7), Jon Rahm became the latest name to defect to the Saudi-backed circuit, jeopardizing his Ryder Cup future. Following the confirmation, McIlroy called for a change in the Ryder Cup rules to accommodate LIV defectors. This statement was a notable shift from his previous stance, where he supported banning LIV defectors from the biennial event.

Lou Stagner, a golf statistics expert, asked the Northern Irishman on X (formerly Twitter) if he wanted the rule change so that Henrik Stenson could become captain.

For the uninitiated, Stenson was set to captain Europe in this year's Ryder Cup 2023, but he defected to the PIF-sponsored league, and Luke Donald replaced him. In response to Stagner's tweet, McIlroy wrote that replacing Stenson was the best thing that happened to the European Ryder Cup.

Ian Poulter, who is currently Stenson's LIV Golf teammate, jumped in and wrote:

"Guys calm down …. This is a parody fake account.. Rory McIlroy wouldn’t say this. it’s fake I promise you. He is a class act and wouldn’t say that about a Team mate. 👍🏼🙏🏼🙌🏼🏆🇪🇺"

While Poulter was sarcastic about McIlroy's former Ryder Cup teammate, not many could get it and thought he was mistaking it for a troll account.

Earlier this year, the 47-year-old Englishman claimed that, contrary to the speculation in the media, his relationship with McIlroy hadn't changed much since moving to LIV Golf.

Poulter was quoted as saying by the Mirror:

"I've got massive respect for him for what he's been able to achieve. A business decision is a business decision at the end of the day, and that should never get in a way of a personal relationship, and that would be disappointing and a shame if it ever did.

"As Lee [Westwood] said, my relationships haven't changed with any of the players. Still class them all as friends. We've spent alot of time in the last quarter of a century building relationships, and just because you have a slight difference of opinion shouldn't change any of that."

Poulter and Rory McIlroy have been part of the winning European Ryder Cup squad in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2018. The two were together in 2021, when the host country beat Europe 19-9.

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How did Ian Poulter perform in the 2023 season?

Here's a look at Ian Poulter's performances in the 2023 season:

LIV Golf League

• LIV Golf Invitational Mayakoba: T11
• LIV Golf Invitational Tucson: T33
• LIV Golf Invitational Orlando: 44
• LIV Golf Invitational Adelaide: T26
• LIV Golf Invitational Singapore: T27
• LIV Golf Invitational Tulsa: T18
• LIV Golf Invitational DC: T23
• LIV Golf Invitational Andalucía: T12
• LIV Golf Invitational London: T11
• LIV Golf Invitational Greenbrier: T29
• LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster: T38
• LIV Golf Invitational Chicago: T24
• LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah: T38
• LIV Golf Invitational Miami - Stroke Play: T22

DP World Tour

• Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship: T60
• Dubai Desert Classic: T6