Poulter has become Europe’s talisman in Medinah

While Lee Westwood failed to lead by example, and Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald endured indifferent results in the team games at Medinah, Englishman Poulter strode forward as the man to shoulder the responsibility for Europe in future Ryder Cups.

Playing in the event for the fourth time, Poulter was simply irresistible at Medinah, winning all three matches in fourballs and foursomes contests ahead of yesterday’s ding-dong singles battle with Webb Simpson.

Not only was it his form, but also his passion, his nerve and his confidence that kept Europe alive and kept America nervous.

No-one whips up a crowd like Poulter, with a beating of his chest as he walks to the tee and his fore-arm bearing roar when he holes a putt.

He kept Jose Maria Olazabal’s men in the contest in near-darkness on Saturday evening with five birdies in a row to help him and McIlroy defeat Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson on the final green.

It was his putt, a 10-footer in the gathering gloom that sealed the win and kept the slimmest of hope alive going into yesterday’s singles.

Poulter said: “We needed to get something going. We had to make birdies and wow – five in a row. It was awesome.

“I had the world No 1 backing me up and it allowed me to hit some shots. I have never felt anything like it.”

Poulter and McIlroy were two down with six to play, but McIlroy’s 15-footer at the 13th set up a thrilling climax.

Poulter got up and down from bunkers at the next two, first for a half and then for a win to level the match.

Then he rolled in a 15-footer to take the 16th and, with Zach Johnson close, made no mistake from nine feet for a half in birdie twos at the short 17th.

Dufner hit the best approach of the four into the last, just three feet from the flag, and holed it. Poulter had to make his from more than three times as far.

Asked if he ever thought he was going to miss the clinching putt, he replied: “No. I’ve got my team-mates right behind me, I’m not going to miss it for them, am I? Come on.”

His putt ended a memorable day that began with him matching Bubba Watson by rousing the crowd to make whatever noise they wanted as each teed off.

“I’ve done it once in Phoenix,” he said.

“It’s very daunting to stand there and hit a first tee shot. It’s even more daunting when they’re screaming and going bananas, but he was going to do it to us, so I did it back to him.

“Your heart rate goes from 80 to 180 – but you can’t do it all the time.”

Together with Rose they were the only pre-lunch European winners as they beat Watson and Simpson on the last.

Poulter is the eighth lowest-ranked member of the 12-strong side, but once again – almost in the spirit of the late Seve Ballesteros – he has been their heartbeat.

No wonder captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who still believes he did the right thing omitting Poulter from Friday’s fourballs, said: “I think the Ryder Cup should build a statue for him. That’s why we say that he has such a special character for this event.

“He thrives, he loves to be in the spotlight, loves to be in that kind of situation.

“There’s a story about Poulter. I saw him at Celtic Manor on the Monday when every player was getting ready (to play singles). That look you saw on 18 tonight (Saturday), he has it at all times.

“I looked straight at him with the intention of saying a few words and said ‘OK, you’re ready, you can go’. He looked at me and said ‘yes – and I can guarantee you a point’. That’s Poulter at the Ryder Cup.”

Asked if Poulter reminded him of anybody, Olazabal added: “There’s one that is not here with us any more (Ballesteros), but I’m pretty sure that when he looks down on us he must have been proud of what he saw.”

World No 1 McIlroy was similarly in awe at his playing partner’s performance on Saturday evening. “When Poults gets that look in his eyes, especially the week of the Ryder Cup, it’s really impressive,” said McIlroy.

“I could have just walked into the clubhouse. It was the Poults Show and just a joy to watch.”

Saturday evening’s victory added another chapter to an amazing cup story for one of Olazabal’s two wild cards.

Poulter – who made his debut in Europe’s record-breaking win at Oakland Hills in 2004 – won his last four games in the 2008 defeat, three out of four in the 2010 win at Celtic Manor and now his first three this week. Leaving him out of Friday’s fourballs is perhaps the one thing Olazabal regrets doing, and the 3-1 defeat Europe suffered in that second session merely highlighted the importance of Poulter.

That Friday afternoon reverse gave the United States the impetus to go on and dominate on Saturday morning.

And that wash of red on the scoreboard also served to fire up the Chicago crowd.

On the atmosphere Poulter said: “It was brutal.

“We are in Chicago – they had a few drinks today and they weren’t making it easy for you, I’ll be honest. I guess I’ve had a bullseye on my back for a while.

“I’m tough to play against in match play, guys want to beat me and that’s fine.

“I want to beat them just as bad and I’m not going to roll over. I’m going to go down blazing.”

The only pity is that at 36 there might not be many more Ryder Cups left in Poulter at his peak – perhaps the next two.

But whatever the future holds he has already made his case as one of Europe’s fiercest competitors.