Poulter doubtful of Woods challenge
05 Apr 2011 - 16:30:15
Tiger Woods is still the biggest name in golf, but Ian Poulter is predicting the former world number one will not even come close to winning a fifth Masters title this week.
Just a month ago Rory McIlroy described Woods as "playing like an ordinary golfer". Now Poulter has added his view.
"I don't think he'll finish in the top five. I think at the minute there's a couple of inconsistent shots," he said at Augusta.
"The shots he was hitting at Doral (Woods came 10th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship) they were very inconsistent.
"You can't afford to hit shots like that round this golf course and get away with it.
"You have to rely on your short game an awful lot if that's the case.
"You can never rule him out, can you, he has such an incredible record round this golf course. He's won by plenty, he's won it quite a few times, we've seen him hit the shots that he's hit in various situations when he has put himself in trouble.
"He's got one of the best short games in the world - that's not going to disappear from him - and when he gets himself in a position where he's close he generally holes putts at the right time.
"He hasn't done it for a while, but I think that if he starts to hole the putts at the right time you are going to see the Tiger of old and that's dangerous.
"But I don't see it this week - I just don't see it myself."
