Postman: I’ll make sure it’s return to sender

VETERAN POULTER FIRES FIRST SHOT TO NEW US GENERATION

IAN POULTER is ready to eclipse a new generation of American stars at the Ryder Cup after seeing off the old guard of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

And Europe’s talisman predicts more “shock results” to make a mockery of the world rankings against one of the strongest USA teams ever assembled.

For the first time since 1993, neither of the USA’s golfing superstars Woods and Mickelson will be in their team at Whistling Straits.

But Woods and Mickelson both had losing records – neither won a point in Paris – as Europe have dominated this century with seven wins in the last nine.

US skipper Steve Stricker has reacted by picking four rookies to bring the average age of his team down to 29 – and to shed the emotional baggage of previous defeats. The Americans will have six debutants in total.

Europe captain Padraig Harrington preferred to go for experience with the average age of his three wildcards – Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Shane Lowry – at 40.

It will be a generation game which Poulter can’t wait to play. Before his seventh Ryder Cup appearance, the 45-year-old said: “This new team is a fresh challenge.

“They’re all in the top 20 or 21 in the world. This is a strong team. I don’t know if it is the strongest team on paper they’ve ever had. Eight in the world’s top 10.

“But it’s match play and any player on his day can beat any player. And that’s all we need to do.

“Match play gives up some of the most incredible results that we’ve seen in any form of golf and we will see it again in a week’s time. You always see shock results. This will be no different.

“We never mind being the underdogs. They have six rookies and there’s a different dynamic there standing on the first tee at a Ryder Cup. They’re very capable players... but they’re going to feel something different, something they’ve never known before.” Poulter experienced his first Ryder Cup in 2004 – and his first fourball match was against Woods. He recalls: “I played with Darren Clarke for the first time on Saturday morning – I remember it like yesterday.

“To be able to stand on that first tee and have someone put their arm around you is a nice position to be in. Now that is my role.

“Paddy wants me there to inspire some of the players.

“I will tell our three rookies to embrace it.” Only Poulter’s chestbeating heroics in 2012 prevented a run of six consecutive home wins in the Ryder Cup.

He missed 2016 through injury and will play an away tie for the first time since the Miracle of Medinah with European fans unable to cross the Atlantic.

“I am the same – the team shirt is the team shirt, whether it’s home or away,” he insisted,

“I’ve often played with a target on my back.

“Obviously, playing in front of home fans is pretty unique.

“It’s pretty inspiring to have 50,000 cheering you on as opposed to what we’re going to get this week.

“We’ll have a few of them, we will hear them.

“They’ll come from somewhere, ex-pats or from wherever.

“But this Ryder Cup crowd, it’s going to be different.”

USA has eight players ranked in the top 10, but Dave Marr’s 1981 team at Walton Heath had nine Major winners, including Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. They won 18.5-9.5, a record that was equalled by Europe in 2004.