Ian Poulter has always been one of those ‘Marmite’ characters in sport.
I’m sure that there were as many people who quite enjoyed seeing him struggling to keep his PGA Tour card as there were who were really pleased when he kept it.
He’s always done his own thing – from the pink trousers and the dyed hair to his football-style celebrations and bold comments.
Me? I have to admit he’s one of my favourite golfers.
There’s so much to admire. He wasn’t one of those ridiculously talented five-year-olds who everybody has heard of before they turn pro. He was a club pro who has squeezed every last drop out of his game.
He’s got guts and determination and isn’t afraid to show it. That’s why he was so perfect for the Ryder Cup.
I saw him play at the Scottish Open last week and you could see his game was coming back.
Now he’s taken it on to another level and is in the hunt at the Open after the first round.
I always think that you discover a lot about a sports person when they are facing a serious career crossroads.
Whether you like the showman stuff or not, you have to admire the way Poulter has come out fighting.
And, with so many first-time major winners recently, you can bet he’ll be believing he’ll be the next one on Sunday night.
* I watched the Scotland v England women’s football the other night and the fact that it was on prime time terrestrial television will give the sport huge exposure.
The 6-0 defeat wasn’t the sort of exposure the Scots would have been hoping for but you could see pretty early what a huge task they were up against. England are one of the favourites to win the European Championships and are a class team.
You get these results in sport sometimes but the Scottish girls showed lots of heart and never gave up. There were chances for them but they didn’t take them.
This is their first major championship ever and as long as they learn lessons quickly they can get back on track.
You just need to look back to the men’s Euros when Wales lost to England in the group stages but they ended up going further in the competition.
* It’s great to see some local names among the medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas.
I was an ambassador for the Winter Youth Olympics back in 2012 and it was really fulfilling to be able to pass on some words of wisdom.
What a fantastic opportunity this is for young athletes to get a feel for the big stage. The transition from youth sport to adult sport is a big jump and events like this help that transition.
Money can’t buy this sort of experience.
It won’t necessarily be the ones who win the medals who go on to have the most successful careers, though.
Getting into good habits, learning and not thinking that you know it all is just as important when you’re making your way in the sport.
