During his trip to Virginia at the beginning of May 2026, Ian Poulter sustained a torn meniscus. It was only the first round of LIV Golf Virginia, and he still had 54 holes to play. Yet he was able to survive through it and complete the event. Coming to South Korea this week, the 50-year-old provided an update on his recovery.

“I have no sensation throughout the golf swing that there’s anything wrong with it,” Poulter confirmed with the media during the LIV Golf Korea presser. He added, “I sense it when I’m walking downhill, steep downhills. I’m just edging it a little bit. But look, I’m going to have to strengthen that leg. It’s not affecting my golf in any way, shape, or form. I just have to be reminding to myself that I can’t go and play paddle tennis or do anything stupid or hop up steps like I did a couple of weeks ago. Walking in straight lines and being super sensible is not something I’m used to doing. Look, I feel good. I feel great. The body feels good. We’ll deal with that at some stage.”

A torn meniscus acts as a shock absorber between an individual’s thigh and shin. The knee doesn’t come under as much pressure when trying to take a swing at a ball from the tee. However, considering how much it stretches when walking down a slope, the tear must get extended beyond a point he can bear. Poulter might not feel the same pain while walking uphill as the muscle contracts while under pressure, and the knee pit is the region that gets stretched more when using the other foot.

That said, Poulter doesn’t seem to be too bothered by it. He is performing well at the Asiad Country Club. After the end of action on Thursday, he is sitting comfortably at T4 with a 4-under par on the leaderboard. The Englishman is only 1 stroke behind the first position at the end of the first round.

Even when he sustained the injury at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., he ended up performing really well in the following rounds. In fact, he shot an excellent third round 7-under 65 to get close to the top of the leaderboard. In the end, Poulter finished at T18 in LIV Golf Virginia 2026.

That said, Ian Poulter might still remain cautious with the injury. Especially considering his history with foot troubles.

Ian Poulter’s feet have been troublesome throughout his career

It’s not like Ian Poulter has had too many issues with his feet. It might not be as severe as Tiger Woods or Ernie Els, who have endured extended rehabilitation phases due to it. But the 50-year-old has still had a fair share of problems that would keep him on his toes.

Back in 2010, Poulter injured his left foot and knee while playing basketball. Ranked #6 in the world at the time, he was set to participate in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. However, the impromptu injury led to his withdrawal and a couple of weeks of rehabilitation from the third week of April. He ended up returning to the PLAYERS Championship in the first week of May that year.

Then in 2016, he endured another foot issue. Generally, people under 50 don’t get foot arthritis. But the disease caught up to him, considering all the activity he did on his feet. And unlike the torn meniscus and the sprain in 2010, this one was a mean mistress. It took him four months to recover from the condition. He ended up missing all the action on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour from June to October 2016. Poulter would be happy that the injury in Virginia didn’t put him out of action for so long.