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Poulter blames dream house for difficult season

Poulter has been rebuilding on and off the course this year © Getty Images

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Ian Poulter has blamed a disappointing 2011 season on outside distractions as he looks to end the year on a high with victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai this week.

Poulter admits he has "done nothing" since beating Luke Donald in the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain in May, during a year that saw him finish an underwhelming 87th on the PGA Tour money list. His performances have been a far cry from his 2010 season, when he became the first Englishman to win a WGC event (the Accenture World Match Play in Arizona) and rose to No. 5 in the world on the back of some consistent finishes.

The 35-year-old Englishman has blamed problems arising from the building of his new multi-million pound house in Florida for his current drop in form.

"It (this year) has been disappointing, poor," Poulter told The Times. "I've played terribly. I've had too much on my mind, too much on my plate.

"The house-building is stressful and it's the usual story. It costs twice as much and takes twice as long. It becomes expensive fitting it out and expensive on your time."

With the house finally expected to be fit to move into by March, Poulter is confident his famous work ethic will return and he will rediscover his former touch - especially as he looks to play his way onto Jose Maria Olazabal's European team for next year's Ryder Cup.

"Every event I play in from now on is serious," he added. "The emphasis is on playing well in every event I play. I'm over the disappointments and I'm not going to cry over spilt milk.

"I'm a decent player and if I go back to basics and work my backside off, I'll be fine."

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