‘A bunch of muppets’: Ian Poulter sees funny side of horror start at Players Championship

Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton shot a combined 29 over par at Sawgrass

(Twitter/IanJamesPoulter)

Some of Europe’s top players proved they were still able to see the funny side despite suffering a miserable first day of The Players Championship.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy and Ryder Cup team-mates Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Tyrrell Hatton combined to shoot 29 over par on a difficult day at Sawgrass, with former Open champion Stenson faring worst with an 85.

Poulter got off relatively lightly with a five-over-par 77 and took to social media to poke fun at the performance of “a bunch of muppets”.

“We’ve got a helluva lunch table here, players’ lounge,” Poulter says in his Twitter video.

“(Tyrrell) just decided to sit down and join Rory and I so collectively, four people sitting at this table, myself, Rory, Henrik - who’s just left - and Tyrrell, 29 over.

“Oh, what a bunch of muppets.”

McIlroy’s miserable round of 79 left him 14 shots worse than playing partner Garcia, who fired two eagles and four birdies in a seven-under-par 65 to enjoy a three-shot clubhouse lead over former Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick and Canada’s Corey Conners.

Garcia, who won the Players Championship in 2008 and lost a play-off in 2015, birdied the 15th and eagled the 16th to reach the turn in 33 and finished his round in style with birdies on the seventh and eighth and an eagle on the ninth.

“I’ve always said it, Valderrama and this course are some of my top favourite ones and for some reason it just kind of fits my eye,” Garcia said.

“I see what I want to do pretty much every hole and then it’s a matter of doing it, but definitely I feel more comfortable and I’ve done well here. So all those things help.”

PA