Ian Poulter brands SPOTY “a farce and joke” after Matt Fitzpatrick snubbed

Ian Poulter has branded the Sports Personality of the Year award a “joke and a farce” after US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick was snubbed from the shortlist.

Poulter, in two separate tweets, said that it was “disgusting” how the 28-year-old Englishman had been overlooked for the award and that he was glad he “didn’t waste his time flying over.” 

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He then went on to say that he experienced how much of a “farce and a joke” the SPOTY ceremony was ten years ago, and that he would never waste time watching or attending ever again.

The 46-year-old has been a vocal critic of the BBC ceremony for a long time. Last year, after Catriona Matthew’s winning Solheim Cup team were snubbed from the ‘Team of the Year’ prize, Poulter tweeted, saying he gave up on the event years ago.

Back then, he said he lost interest in the ceremony after the 2012 edition of the BBC event.

“[I] gave up on SPOTY years ago,” he wrote. “They asked several times if I’d fly over as Ryder Cup Team Europe were looking strong to win it in 2012.

“So, I forked out to go for 48 hours only for the committee to overrule and give it to Team GB Olympics when it states in rules they can’t win.”

Last month, Fitzpatrick announced that he had “politely declined“ an invitation to attend the awards, as he was unlikely to make the shortlist.

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This won’t be a surprise, however, as the ceremony has repeatedly given golfers a raw deal. Only two, Sir Nick Faldo and Dai Rees, have won the award in the past. In 2014, Rory McIlroy was runner-up to Lewis Hamilton, after McIlroy won the US PGA Championship and the Open.