Ian Poulter tore his meniscus hopping up two steps. He then went out and shot 4-under 66 in Korea.

The 50-year-old Englishman revealed the injury at his post-round press conference on Thursday after the opening round of LIV Golf Korea at Asiad Country Club in Gijang, Busan, South Korea.

Poulter, co-captain of Majesticks GC, confirmed he sustained the torn meniscus during LIV Golf Virginia and that surgery is scheduled for September.

"I tore my meniscus Thursday of Virginia just hopping up two steps," Poulter said. "I went for an MRI when I got back from Virginia, and yeah, I'm going to have to have surgery in September."

He wasn't even sure he'd tee it up in Korea. "I didn't think I was going to play an hour before tee-off," he said. "It was that crazy."

The injury hasn't visibly affected his swing. Poulter said he feels nothing during the golf swing, only on steep downhill walks. "Bizarrely, I have no sensation throughout the golf swing that there's anything wrong with it," he said. "I sense it when I'm walking downhill, steep downhills. I'm just edging it a little bit."

He was equally clear about what he won't be doing between now and September. "I just have to remind myself that I can't go and play paddle tennis or do anything stupid or hop up steps as I did a couple of weeks ago," Poulter said.

"Walking in straight lines and being super sensible is not something I'm used to doing."

Despite the setback, Poulter sits at 4-under after Round 1, one shot behind early leaders Bryson DeChambeau, Charles Howell III, and Scott Vincent. He drove the ball well and hit his irons sharply, aided, he said, by new McLaren irons he recently put in the bag.

The timing of the injury clearly frustrates him. "It's such a shame," Poulter said. "I've been swinging the club so good this year."

The new irons are part of the reason for that confidence, and they're worth examining separately.

Ian Poulter Says His New McLaren Irons Made an Immediate Difference at LIV Golf Korea

Poulter had several weeks to dial in the new McLaren irons before bringing them to competition. The transition, he said, was straightforward.

"I felt they looked better, turf interaction was better, the divots were better, ball flight was better," Poulter said. "So it's a pretty easy switch to be able to put them in the bag."

The visual appeal mattered too. "The engineers and the design team have made a really good-looking golf club," he said. "When I put it down, it's already pleasing on the eye, so it gives you a good feeling when you stand over the ball."

Poulter's former Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose has also put the McLaren irons in his bag. Poulter uses the 5-iron through 9-iron from the first series.

He is yet to win an individual LIV Golf event since joining the league in 2022. At Asiad Country Club, he likes his chances. "I actually like this golf course," Poulter said. "It's not long, it's fiddly. It's positional golf off the tee. I drove it exceptionally well today."

Surgery waits in September. For now, Poulter is still competing.

So, do you think Ian Poulter can contend for his first individual LIV Golf title at LIV Golf Korea despite playing with a torn meniscus? Tell us what you think.

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason