Never one to shy away from controversy, Ian Poulter has certainly faced plenty of criticism in recent times.
He was one of the first names to sign up for LIV Golf, with the Englishman having some run ins with journalists as a result. Having also been banned from last week's Scottish Open, he would lodge an appeal and ultimately be allowed to compete.
Those involved in the Saudi-backed tour have not been all that well received by some golf fans, with Poulter included in that bunch.
He was booed by some members of the gallery as he lined up his drive on the first tee at St Andrew's for the opening round of The Open earlier today.
That didn't seem to affect him.
The 46-year old sunk a monster putt on the ninth hole to get off to a strong start in the tournament.
160 feet...🤯
Ian Poulter's monster putt for eagle! #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/Ju26M4yEc9— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 14, 2022
He would finish up -3 for his round, giving him an ideal platform to build on for the coming days.
Ian Poulter addresses boos at The Open
While he did receive plenty of support from the spectators, Ian Poulter was also heckled on a couple of occasions as he made his way around the Scottish course.
He was inevitably asked about those boos and comments after completing his round, although he claims that he didn't hear them. In the exchange shared by American journalist Jay Busbee, the former Ryder Cup hero seemed to get rather tetchy as a result.
Ian Poulter hears nothing but love from the gallery. pic.twitter.com/wU7NQRZqLy
— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) July 14, 2022
I didn't hear one (boo)...
I actually thought I had a great reception on the first tee, to be honest. All I heard was clapping...
Oh my gosh, I have not heard one heckle. In three weeks, I've heard nothing. What you heard?
You walked 18 holes. Not one noise. You lot can write whatever you like about being heckled and booing. You've walked 18 holes.
Did you hear one comment? You can write whatever you want...
This could probably be my last Open Championship at St Andrews so I'm trying to enjoy it, despite the questioning. I'm staying out of the way. I'm not reading social media. I just want to play golf, right?
I can only do my job. If I listen to a lot of nonsense, then I'm going to get distracted. That's never going to be good for me. I'll leave it to the clever people to figure stuff out, and I'll just play golf.
Whether Ian Poulter heard it or not, it was clear that there were some boos on that opening tee.
That is something is perhaps to be expected considering the current climate in professional golf.
SEE ALSO: James Sugrue Echoes Spieth's 'Easy' St. Andrews Comments
