Ryder Cup winning hero Ian Poulter admits he has been overwhelmed by the reaction to his part in Europe’s one-point success at Medinah.

Poulter is returning to competition in this week’s $7m BMW Masters in Shanghai after helping turn the tide in Europe’s favour when he teamed with World No. 1 Rory McIlroy to birdie the five closing holes in the final match on day two of the Ryder Cup.

Victory saw Europe head into the decisive Sunday Singles trailing by four points ahead of Germany’s Martin Kaymer then holing the winning putt.

Three weeks after the Ryder Cup and Ian Poulter is still in awe of the public’s reation to Europe’s historic win. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)

“I’ve now played in four Ryder Cups and I’ve just found the reaction to our win overwhelming, and moreso after any other Ryder Cup,” said Poutler.

“I’ve never ever experienced anything like it in golf, every before.

“The congratulations I continue to receive, the number of e-mails, the text messages, the letters and just everything is something that is still hard to fathom.

“It’s not only just the odd handshake.  It’s the reaction from people at the airports, and most of them American, is actually unbelievable.

“I’ve had people coming up to me saying they don’t even follow golf who watched the Ryder Cup and saying how they were blown away by what they saw take place at Medinah.

“My own website has received hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of emails and it’s something I’ve never seen before.”

However of all the ‘new media’ messages Poulter has received there has been some special including a message from Seve Ballesteros Foundation set-up in honour of the late, great Spaniard.

“I had an amazing letter from the Seve Foundation on behalf of Seve’s family, and saying how moved they were, and thanking me for what I contributed to Europe retaining the Ryder Cup and what it meant to them,” he said.

“I got an email from Gary Player that was just incredible.

“I’ve also had messages from cricketers, footballers and just so many people from right all levels of sports, and business, that I’ve been totally overwhelmed how the events of the Ryder Cup touched them.

“There have been also just so many people who’ve told me they don’t even follow golf yet they found themselves consumed by those three days.

“Never before have they watched golf but they’ve found themselves touched.

“It was heading in the wrong direction for Europe and it turned out to be one of the best-ever turnarounds in sport.

“It was just so big a European Team comeback that is touched so many people around the world, and it’s just been overwhelming for me personally to read all these messages.

”I’ve had three weeks off now since the Ryder Cup and I still have opened all the messages of congratulations and support.”

But while Poulter’s closing five-hole finish on day two of the biannual event helped turn the Ryder Cup tide in Europe’s favour, the 36-year old refuses to accept any individual accolades for his part in the eventual late Sunday afternoon European Team glory.

“We are a team and all I did was to help contribute to the team,” he said.

“There’s been lots of talk about the last two matches on the Saturday being the big turnaround in Europe’s favour, and it was a big turnaround.

“For Sergio (Garcia) and Luke (Donald) to come back from four down and to win that point was huge, and then for Rory (McIlroy) and myself to win our point in that last match on Saturday was even more unbelievable.

“So to then head into the Singles not 12 – 4 down but now 10 – 6 down after we won the last two matches on Saturday gave us a chance, a huge chance.

“Every European Team member went out there on Sunday believing we could win the Ryder Cup and we did.”

However while Poulter still finds himself consumed by the events of last month he also is trying to focus on a first victory this season.

The ‘Woburn Wonder’ is playing six of the next seven weeks commencing with this week’s $US 7m BMW Masters in Shanghai.

Poulter’s won 14 times around the globe, including wins in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong but has yet to taste success in the world’s most populous nation.

“I had two weeks off before the Ryder Cup and then after playing the Ryder Cup, I’ve had a further three weeks off so I’m looking forward to getting back into individual competition,” he said.

“That’s enough time off and I’m looking forward to getting back into regular tournament competition and it would be great to turn the euphoria of being a part of the winning Ryder Cup team into my first win this year.

“In what is left of the year is personal so I have to go and do my thing, and something that I do for all but one week every two years.

“If  I can play well over these six or so weeks, and in the process pull off a victory, then I will end my year extremely happy.”