Ahead of Wednesday night, Hurricane Milton was expected to be one of the most destructive hurricanes in Florida’s history, with the Sunshine State now braced for the worst.
Golf ace Ian Poulter was holed up in his Florida residence as locals braced for the wrath of Hurricane Milton, forecasted to hit the region and cause huge damage.
Tagged initially as a ferocious Category 5 storm, Hurricane Milton caused an exodus along the highways on Wednesday night. Many Floridians were forced to evacuate their homes for safety due to the oncoming weather.
As hours ticked by, Milton was knocked down to a Category 3 and eventually a much weaker Category 1. Still, it packed enough punch to plunge over 3 million homes into darkness and cause a scene that resembled weather apocalypse on tracking systems, as the hurricane almost crumbled upon nearing Florida’s coasts.
LIV Golf star Poulter gave his Instagram followers a look at the situation he saw from his home, which is nestled near Lake Nona’s Golf and Country Club with a plush 18-hole championship course. The Brit shared snaps of the flooded greens and waterlogged fairways, showing the deluge lapping at his doorstep.
Despite the threat, Poulter managed to post a picture from within the safety of his home, capturing an unwelcome water leak breaching his door, and wrote, “Leak No. 1 of the night. [Would] be a huge result if this is all we have,” reflecting hope amidst the havoc.
Poulter’s dog, Geno, seemed to be the most relaxed member of the household, sleeping on his owner into the early hours of the morning on the East Coast. “Dogs really aren’t bothered at all about Milton. [We are] so lucky to have the generator, we lost power only a short time ago. But Geno is fully up and running,” Poulter quipped.
Come morning, Poulter was singing praises for his generator. Sharing a clip on Instagram, he penned: “Now this thing is a game changer. I’m loving you Generac. Doesn’t get used much at all but when you need her she’s good.”
On the greens, despite jumping ship to LIV Golf last year and stepping down from the DP World Tour to dodge fines, Poulter still harbours dreams of leading Europe in a future Ryder Cup. However, Poulter, among others, could risk missing out on participation due to not racking up enough points for selection.
Jon Rahm, currently holding the champion title at LIV Golf after clinching the win in his debut season, is in a race against the clock to qualify having returned to European competition post the breakaway tour’s wrap-up. Rory McIlroy suggests that Poulter’s decision to step down from the DP World Tour has significantly dented his chances of either captaining or competing in the Ryder Cup.
“I just think with the current state of where everything is, you need someone that’s around and showing their face as much as they can,” McIlroy said. “Right now, that honestly just can’t be them because they are elsewhere.”
