Plenty of parents harbor ambitions of seeing their children follow them into a similar line of work, and it turns out that Majesticks co-captain Ian Poulter is no different.
The Ryder Cup legend is proud father to Luke – a talented college golfer at the University of Florida who has his sights set on turning pro and possibly teeing it up against Team USA one day.
The 20-year-old has only played one season of college golf so far and is still finding his feet, but Luke is already shaping up to be a good match-play golfer like his dad, with a 2-1 record overall and his only defeat coming to 2024 American Express winner, Nick Dunlap.
Further down the line, following a couple more years at college for Luke and a handful more seasons in the LIV Golf League for the 48-year-old, Poulter senior is hopeful his son – who “finally” claimed victory over his dad for the first time last year – could take his spot in the Majesticks GC line-up.
The man with 17 professional wins to his name said: “Hopefully, one day [Luke] can take over the reigns from me as a Majesticks GC player. We’ll see how his next three years at college goes, but I’d love nothing more than for Luke to wear the Majesticks shirt.”
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The World No.338 amateur is currently out with a back injury, however, and is not expected to return to playing until around September time. Poulter – who was twice named SEC Freshman of the Week last term – has been working too hard, according to his dad and needs to learn to manage his body better as he navigates his college career.
Ian Poulter said: “Luke had a good year at college, but he’s going to have a bit of time out at the minute. He’s picked up a back injury which is pretty frustrating. Our younger generation have learned how to work hard, but they haven’t quite learned how to hit the rest and recovery button just yet.
“Luke’s golf game is very good, but he’s going to have to start again probably at the end of September. He’s going to be probably four or five months out, having some rehab.
“His scans are OK – they’re improving – and hopefully this is a great learning exercise for him as a young athlete. It can’t all be hard work in the gym and hitting balls. You have to be able to manage your body and manage your load.”
Once Luke has returned to full fitness later this year, the 20-year-old will continue on with his journey towards what he hopes will be a long and successful spell in the pro game.
Yet his father – who turned pro in 1995 – is starting to turn attention towards the next chapter in his career and says while he endeavours to play LIV Golf for a little while longer yet, it is undeniable that he cannot do that forever.
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Asked what the future looks like for both him and his Majesticks team, Poulter revealed his franchise is looking to form a kind of academy in order to create a successful transition for the next generation.
He said: “We are looking to bring on some players at some point. We are looking to have some academy players. We are looking to support our next generation of players. So when that time comes, they will be able to move into the team and feel very comfortable.
“Like any team, players come and go. This is no different. So from a business sense, it’s been quite interesting for us to have two heads to look at that, but it’s quite exciting as well.
Majesticks GC’s 2024 line-up (L to R): Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, and Sam Horsfield
(Image credit: Majesticks GC)
“And from a day-to-day running aspect, Henrik [Stenson], Lee [Westwood], and I have had 75-plus years of experience within this game, and there’s a lot of value that we can add to this team. Not just to the younger generation of kids that are going to come through onto our team, but from a sponsor aspect, entertaining clients and sponsors.
“So, yeah, there is a lot that we can add to Team Majesticks GC, even when our golf clubs are going to carry a bit more dust.”
Poulter is preparing to play in LIV Golf Andalucia at Valderrama Golf Club between July 12-14 before LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf and Country Club takes place July 26-28.
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