The Loop
Ian Poulter trolls Team USA with photo of police car that Rory McIlroy rode to 2012 Ryder Cup
Ian Poulter is a collector of luxury cars, but on Thursday, he took to social media to point out a. . . 2005 Ford Crown Victoria? It's a dependable automobile to be sure, but not exactly in the same class as the Ferraris Poulter possesses. However, this wasn't just any Ford Crown Victoria.
No, Poulter was sharing a photo of the cop car that Rory McIlroy rode to the 2012 Ryder Cup (You can see the Ryder Cup logo near the right-front tire). McIlroy had mixed up Eastern and Central time zone and he needed a police escort to make it to Medinah's first tee in time for his Sunday singles match against Keegan Bradley. McIlroy wound up making it with three minutes to spare and beating Bradley, helping Team Europe make a historic final-day comeback.
Is it possible that Poulter now owns this piece of Ryder Cup history? It is, actually. In April of 2013, the village of Lombard, Ill., auctioned off the car on eBay. Here's the description of the vehicle at the time:
You are bidding on the unmarked Village of Lombard police car that was used to rush pro golfer Rory McIlroy to the Ryder Cup. Rory was staying at the Westin hotel in Lombard, IL and had thought his tee off time was an hour later than it actually was on the final day of the Ryder Cup being held at Medinah Country Club. Lombard’s Deputy Police Chief Pat Rollins used this car to rush McIlroy to the tournament with only minutes to spare. The Europeans went on to win the tournament largely due to McIlroy’s play. Don’t miss this opportunity to own a piece of sports history not to mention a darn fine automobile. Vehicle is in good running condition with only 88,900 miles on it!
It's unclear to whom or how much it wound up being sold for. But if Poulter, a Ryder Cup vice captain this year, is the owner and he's waited until the week before the 2016 matches begin at Hazeltine, this is an all-time troll job.