Ian Poulter shoots his best Masters round

Englishman Ian Poulter is known as one of Europe’s top players, and American fans know him well from his Ryder Cup exploits.

But Poulter has never played his best at Augusta National Golf Club, with just two top-10 finishes in his previous 10 Masters appearances.

On Saturday, Poulter shot up the leaderboard with a bogey-free round of 67, hitting 17 of 18 greens.

Poulter started the day at 1-over-par; he ended it at 4-under after his lowest round ever at Augusta National.

“I played exceptionally well,” said Poulter, 39. “I hit the first 17 greens in regulation, and if you’re going to do that then you’re hopefully going to make some birdies. I made five good birdies, which I was very happy about. But I left a few out there.”

The only green Poulter missed was on No. 18, when his approach shot missed left of the green by a few yards. He hit a nice chip and drained the 5-foot par putt.

Poulter birdied the 240-yard, par-3 fourth and had another birdie on No. 8 as he made the turn in 34. He made a birdie on the tough par-4 11th and got another at No. 13. He made an impressive birdie on the par-4 14th and almost made it three in a row, but his 10-foot breaking putt came to rest on the lip at No. 15.

“He could have shot 63,” said playing partner Darren Clarke, the 2016 European Ryder Cup captain. “That’s the best I’ve seen him play.”

Poulter agreed with Clarke’s assessment.

“I played pretty flawless golf, putting it in the right position off the tee,” said Poulter, whose best Masters finish was seventh in 2012. “Had a lot of good birdie looks and left a few on the course, as Darren said. But it’s probably the best round of golf I’ve ever played at Augusta.”