NAPLES, Fla. — Eleven years ago they were newcomers to the PGA Tour’s silly season, still without a U.S. Open title or any Ryder Cup fame or car collection.
This week Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter would be considered parental by many of the players in the 2019 QBE Shootout field at the Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.
The Englishman (Poulter) and Ulsterman (McDowell) are a combined 83-years-old but still remain determined to make additions to their resumés.
The previous results are impressive, for Poulter, $45 million in golf earnings, including $25 million in the U.S. Best known for making clutch putts in the Ryder Cup, he’s also an avid car collector with 14 Ferraris, Bentleys or Aston Martins sitting at home in Orlando.
McDowell is just a step behind with $30 million-plus in golf winnings that ranked No. 1 in Northern Ireland until Rory McIlroy joined the PGA Tour. McDowell won the U.S. Open in 2010, his fourth tour title last year in Puerto Rico, and owns two of Florida’s most successful restaurants, Nona Blue, in Orlando and Ponte Vedra Beach.
The pair, playing together for the first time since 2008, have enjoyed their success in the Shootout.
Poulter won in 2010 with Dustin Johnson, while McDowell has finished second the last two years with Shane Lowry and Emiliano Grillo.
“I mean, the game’s good with a little time off,” Poulter said. “Obviously this kind of format you can lean on your partner and he can lean on me and if you get on a roll you can shoot lights out.”
“Certainly one of my favorite weeks of the year is coming down here, but I haven’t played a whole lot the last three months so I’m starting to gear back up with Kapalua and Sony coming up in the new year,” McDowell said.
McDowell and Poulter are playing with the two youngest players, rookie stars Matt Wolff, 20, and Norway’s Viktor Hovland, 22.
Both of the youngsters are excited to be paired with the veterans.
“Young guys come out and fire quickly but it’s really cool for us to be able to play with guys we’ve watched on TV,” Wolff said.”I watched Ian since I started golf and it’s cool to see all the generations play together.
“Anyone who plays golf knows the name Greg Norman, but to be able to meet him (Tuesday) night and talk with him a little, special.”
“I was too young to watch Norman but I certainly watched a lot of Graeme, Poulter and Charles Howell,” Hovland said. “It’s cool to be part of the next lineage of players.”
McDowell and Poulter accept the aging notoriety.
“Poults and I are getting to that stage in life where we’ll be the older guys in the field,” McDowell said.
Poulter interrupted, “I’ve had the tag already, oldest man and that’s a bit scary.”
Nevertheless, the passion remains intact.
“Desire is still there, very much so,” said McDowell, who lists playing in last summer’s The Open Championship at Royal Portrush near his home as one of the highlights of his career. “We both work as hard as we ever did,”
“If the desire drops off, you won’t see me playing golf, period,” Poulter said. “I want to feel competitive because I have never worked harder and I’m just as hungry as my first year on tour in ’99.”
Poulter enjoys discussing his car collection and comparing himself to other collectors.
“Not even close to the top, I would be in like the eighth division,” he said. “I’m entry level behind car collectors, real car collectors and super special car collectors.”
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