How Ian Poulter will relish the familiar feeling. Two years ago he quietly exited stage left at Hazeltine having sampled the Ryder Cup in an unaccustomed position as one of Europe’s vice-captains. Poulter had missed months of playing action because of injury and the consensus seemed to be that his time in the sun had passed.

If Tiger Woods is the comeback kid of this coming week at Le Golf National, Poulter is at least worthy of discussion in the same chapter. Europe’s modern-day Ryder Cup icon has clawed his way back to golf’s summit in a manner so typically Poulter. Europe will again rely heavily on a force of nature.

“What a year it has been,” he says. “All of these things are a combination of feeling good, playing with confidence, knowing you are back to playing some of the best golf you have ever played and that all came from putting in hard work, believing in myself and staying strong. I am not someone that is going to give up. I just don’t do that.

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“To have the mindset of still thinking 18 months ago I could make this team, from being so far out of the picture, kept me going really. It was everything to me to make the team.”

The nod towards “these things” requires explanation. From an earlier position among the 200s in the world rankings, Poulter has catapulted himself back into the top 50. His stunning victory at the Houston Open in April was the marquee moment of this resurgence, with Poulter’s position as a wild-card pick by Thomas Bjørn in no-brainer territory.

“Does it surprise people? It certainly could surprise a few, moving down to 200 in the world rankings, being way outside the top 50, no apparent glimmer of hope, so I guess some people could think I would finish up being a golfer at 40-something,” he says. “But that’s not the way I got to where I got in the first place so that’s not my mindset; never has been my mindset and never will be my mindset.

“Knowing how I feel and how I got myself in a state of mind to play good golf in 2018, a lot of things had to align themselves and they have. There was a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication and I had the right mindset. I was mentally strong. Being mentally strong is something I’ve always been very good at and sometimes you just have to dig a bit deeper. I have proved in the past that is one of my attributes and I’ve had to rely on it.

“I never thought for one minute that I couldn’t win another tournament or I couldn’t make another Ryder Cup team. That’s not in my make-up. If I feel good in myself and feel good in everything I’m doing, on and off the course, then I’m of the mind-set that I can get it done. You guys will all know fine well if I feel I can’t compete any more.”

As the 2016 Ryder Cup approached, Poulter had been on a winning team on four of his five playing appearances but was out of action because of an arthritic joint in his right foot. If it made perfect sense for Europe’s captain, Darren Clarke, to have the Englishman on his backroom team, the scenario was understandably tricky. “Two years ago was quite a low moment, knowing I needed to take time off to recover and that for me was awkward,” he recalls. “I think if I was capable of playing and hadn’t needed to take several months off anyway, it might have been an even bigger pill to swallow. But I was in recovery, trying to get myself back and wasn’t able to play.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ian Poulter lines up a putt during his victory in the Houston Open in April. Photograph: Josh Hedges/Getty Images

“I guess my mindset was about helping the team and doing a job for Darren. Once I was there, yes, it was difficult because you want to play. When you have only been a player in the past it is a strange position to be in, being there in a completely different capacity. So it was strange but I was proud to be a part of the team and to try and help in any way I could.”

There are traces of mischief in Poulter’s tone as he contemplates what changed between a comprehensive Europe win at Gleneagles in 2014 and the USA’s success of two years ago. There has been widespread commentary suggesting a positive switch in American attitudes made the difference. Poulter offers another theory. Ryder Cup captains have a gentleman’s agreement that they do not interfere with course set-up. “Something changed; all the pin positions were really easy for three days,” he says of Hazeltine. “On the birdie conversion statistics, they make more birdies than we do so therefore with easy pin positions it becomes a putting competition. They putted better than we did. That’s what changed.

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“The dynamics of their team – young and a good group of guys that all hang out together – is there but when you set out three days of easy pins and make it a birdie competition, statistics will probably prove they have the upper hand. That’s exactly what it proved.

“It is extremely unusual to see three days of easy pins. I’m just confused as to why that happened. I’m just saying it was strange, that’s all.”

And this time? “Let’s wait and see what happens. Yes, on paper when you look at their stats and wins, they are strong. There is no denying that. Yes, they are favourites even though they are coming to Europe. We need to create the upset.”

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Poulter’s aspirations, of course, did not end with making this 12-man Europe contingent. He wants to be front and centre of a winning side. “I like the golf course, I am feeling good, my game is in shape,” he says. “I’m going to be fresh and ready to go. I am going to do whatever I need to do, that Thomas asks of me.

“At 42, if Thomas asks me to play once, I’ll play once. If Thomas asks me to play five times, I’ll be ready for that. I am going to play my part and do everything in my power and in my capabilities to make sure the team comes away with the trophy.”

Poulter’s role will naturally stretch beyond playing. That Bjørn turned towards experience for his captain’s picks owed plenty to the appearance of five debutants in Europe’s eight automatically qualified players. “It is very difficult to explain to someone who hasn’t played in the Ryder Cup what exactly they are going to feel,” Poulter says. “Hard as you do try, they have never experienced anything like it.

“All the rookies are great players who have been on the world stage for a long time but it is still hard to explain to them the feeling they will get come Friday morning at go time.”