Tag: Luke Poulter

Luke Poulter, Ian Poulter’s son, wins first collegiate title at Willow Cup in Alabama

Luke Poulter went 4 under on his final six holes.

It seems as if the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

Luke Poulter, the 18-year-old son of Ian Poulter, captured his first collegiate victory in the 2022 Willow Cup at Willow Point Golf and Country Club in Alabama. Even more impressive is how the freshman at Florida finished.

He went 4 under in his final six holes, carding a 4-under 68 in the second round of the 36-hole event. He was 5 under on the back nine en route to his one-shot victory over Auburn’s Ryan Eshleman. Fellow Gator Parker Bell and Alabama’s Jones Free tied for third at 7 under.

Ian took to Twitter to share his excitement for Luke.

Earlier this year, Luke made the quarterfinals of the English Amateur Championship and made match play in the R&A Boys Amateur. Luke also caddied for pops at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Luke hasn’t appeared in the Gators’ lineup this season, but he could make his way in come this spring.

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Ukrainian Misha Golod three shots off lead at Terra Cotta Invitational

Misha Golod has captivated the golf world since escaping the war-torn country of Ukraine to the U.S. in March.

NAPLES, Fla. — A pair of familiar faces are near the top of the 26th annual Terra Cotta Invitational after the first round.

Defending champion Caleb Surratt, an 18-year-old University of Tennessee commit, is leading, and Ukrainian Misha Golod, who has captivated the golf world since escaping the war-torn country to the U.S. in March, isn’t too far behind at Naples National Golf Club on Friday.

Surratt, from Indian Trail, North Carolina, was 3 under before a bogey at No. 8, but he bounced back with three straight birdies on Nos. 11-13 and added another at No. 15.

He made two difficult pars on Nos. 9 and 10 before getting that first birdie from 15 feet. Surratt bogeyed No. 16, then parred the last two to finish three strokes ahead of Golod.

“It’s kind of discipline, I think I know what it takes around here to play well and I kind of stuck to that same game plan, no matter how great things were going or bad things were going,” Surratt said. “I think it’s important to not get too aggressive, but play aggressively smart around here.”

Golod’s story was first told in Golf Digest in early March, and from there the golf world rose to the occasion to raise funds and awareness to help him get out of the country. He arrived in Orlando on March 11, and received a scholarship at the David Leadbetter Academy and received housing accommodations. A Leadbetter instructor is with him in Naples this weekend.

Golod was an honorary starter at the Players Championship shortly after coming to America, and then got to take in practice rounds at the Masters and attend the Golf Writers Association of America banquet in Augusta a few weeks ago.

The 15-year-old had only played one golf tournament in a few months, but shook off any rust for one day at least. He bogeyed three of his first five holes, but sank a 25-foot, breaking birdie putt at No. 7, a challenging par save at No. 8, and birdied Nos. 9 and 10 to get to even par. Golod saved a bogey on No. 11, but responded with birdies on Nos. 14, 15 and 16, then parred the last two for a 70.

“I’m obviously delighted with the score, and to make a comeback,” Golod said. “It’s awesome to make that comeback to get to 2 under par. Hopefully I give myself a chance on Sunday.

“I was pretty much as relaxed as I could but because obviously I’m probably one of the youngest players in here, and it’s the first time playing in this tournament and I’m just happy and having fun. We’re just out there smiling all day long, so it was awesome.”

Nicholas Prieto, a 17-year-old from Miami, is in second, a stroke behind Surratt. Ben James, a Virginia commit from Connecticut, is in third after a 69. Canadian Jean-Philippe Parr is tied for fourth with Golod. Luke Poulter, and a University of Florida commit and the 18-year-old son of tour pro Ian Poulter, is tied for sixth at 71 with Florida State commit Luke Clanton of Miami Lakes.

Lucas Fallotico, one of several FGCU men’s golfers in the field, is the top local player, tied for 13th at 1 over par.

The second round is Saturday, with leaders teeing off at 10:12 a.m. ET The final round is Sunday.

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Ian Poulter’s son, Luke, to caddie for him at Wells Fargo Championship

When Luke Poulter watched Stewart Cink win the RBC Heritage with son Reagan on the bag, he asked his father when he could caddie for him.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – When Luke Poulter watched Stewart Cink win the RBC Heritage with son Reagan on the bag, he asked his father when he could caddie for him at a PGA Tour event. Turns out it would be sooner than even he expected.

Ian Poulter announced on his Instagram that Luke, who is 16 and home-schooled, will be on his bag at the Wells Fargo Championship this week. Poulter’s steady sidekick, James Walton, is turning 40 this week and his wife is planning a celebration.

“He’ll be relaxing somewhere on a beach,” Poulter said.

That left an opening for Luke to fill in for the first time at a professional event. Ian recalled caddying for his son at a U.S. Kids event at Walt Disney World in Orlando in 2014, but this will be the first time that roles are reversed.

“It will be nice for him to get a real inside look at what goes on inside between these silly ears and inside the ropes and give him a little look,” Poulter said at the Valspar Championship. “It will be great for his learning experience to become a Tour player himself.”

Luke is ranked No. 141 in the AJGA Rolex Rankings and finished T-6 in his most recent tournament at the Sergio and Angela Garcia Foundation Junior Championship in March (71-73-71). (He’s ranked No. 275 in the Golfweek Junior Rankings.)

“He wants to do what I do. It’s the only thing going on in his brain,” Ian said. “He fully believes in his mind if he continues to work hard and keeps improving, he’s going to have an opportunity. I believe that because of what I see. He is way further advanced than where I was, but yet I wasn’t that advanced at 16.”

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Luke enjoyed a learning experience last week attempting local qualifying for the U.S. Open. He was 1 under coming up the last hole, which wasn’t going to be enough to advance, before hitting two drives out of bounds and made a quadruple bogey.

“He’s got me for distance, he’s got me on club speed and ball speed. That crossover has happened and it’s only going to grow,” Ian said. “Where he doesn’t have me beat is on the golf course. We rarely play but when we do play, he hasn’t beaten me. I’m going to make him earn that. I want him to earn it and to reward him when it does.”

Ian said he grinds harder to beat his son than he does to make a cut on the PGA Tour.

Ian famously turned pro as a 4 handicap and worked as an assistant pro back home in England, but he said Luke will benefit greatly from four years in college.

When asked to pick Luke’s biggest victory, he said, “It will be when he puts pen to paper and signs for college. In my opinion that will be his biggest victory so far because I was never in that position.”

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