The story behind this LIV Golf veteran’s journey to becoming one of Europe’s fiercest Ryder Cup competitors is unbelievable. It all started with a schoolteacher’s remark.

“I had a couple of school teachers I really liked, and I had one I hated. It’s always when someone tells me I can’t do something that kind of really p*sses me off. So, I had a school teacher one time,” Ian Poulter said in a YouTube video by Majesticks Golf Club and LIV Golf.

“I used to take my clubs into school, and we used to fiddle with them during class and regrip and move, and it really annoyed this teacher, and he dragged me out of classroom and was jabbing me in the chest and just said, ‘You’re never going to be a golf pro. You’re a waste of space. You’re this. You’re that.’ So, I took that pretty bad. But I also took it as a good lesson of motivation to the same as working in the shop and having somebody that tells you can’t do something.”

This is not the first time the Englishman has told this story. The 3x PGA Tour winner has always referred to that incident as a jolt of motivation that helped him propel from a 4 handicap to a PGA Tour pro by the age of 19.

In a 2010 media interview, the Majesticks GC captain narrated the same story and explained how it helped him get where he is. But that teacher was not the only one who got on his nerves. There was also a manager at a shop where he used to work after leaving school.

His golf club manager at Chesfield Downs was responsible for his “chip on the shoulder” mentality. He would ask Poulter to take a holiday to play in local tournaments. One of those he played in was the Panshanger Classic. He shot 66-66 and won 1,800 pounds (roughly $2,700 nowadays). He then took the trophy to the shop where he used to work and placed it on the counter. Downs impolitely asked him to remove the trophy, so Poulter left the shop a week later.

Poulter continues to motivate himself despite criticism. Even when he watches elites like Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, and others play, he is not afraid. Instead of thinking about how the elites can play like that, he said to himself that even he can do that.

Those incidents pushed him in the right direction, with three PGA Tour and 12 DP World Tour titles to his name.

He has enjoyed the most success on the DP World Tour. And yet, he fears for the league today.

Ian Poulter warns the DP World Tour over financial uncertainty

PIF has officially cut all ties with LIV Golf beyond 2026. Now, the rebel league is on its own to find investors and continue. The Englishman fears that if LIV Golf goes away, the DP World Tour could be next.

“I fear for them. Even though I resigned, I played for 23 straight years on the European Tour and do actually care about where I learnt my trade. I fear that they can’t afford for us [LIV] to go away. Because if we go away, it does not look very good for them. The PGA Tour has underpinned their prize funds and paid out in the last couple of years. We are talking hundreds of millions. Now if that stops… well, it’s not rocket science,” he said in an interview with The Telegraph.

The strategic alliance, started in November 2020 and expanded in 2022, gave the PGA Tour a 40% stake in European Tour Productions. In return, the PGA Tour provided financial aid. The organization ensured a minimum of $2 million in prize money in sanctioned tournaments and $8-9 million in big events. Besides that, it also created the top-10 Race to Dubai pathway to PGA cards. Both organizations also introduced some joint events, such as the Scottish Open.

Over the years, the PGA Tour has poured millions of dollars into the DP World Tour. And one of the core reasons this happened was that the American tour feared the European league joining hands with LIV Golf. But if LIV Golf shuts down, things could get ugly for the DP World Tour. In fact, renegotiations are already underway, and the terms could favor the PGA Tour this time.

Following Poulter’s alarm, CEO Brian Rolapp assured that the DP World Tour will not meet that fate. However, recent golf events have shown that shockers can come at any time.