Ian Poulter slams Tom Watson's 'astonishing' Ryder Cup decisions in new book

London: England golfer Ian Poulter has said that United States captain Tom Watson's decisions in the Ryder Cup were astonishing.

Watson had been slammed for some of his selections during last month's Gleneagles event as Europe won 161/2-111/2 to retain the trophy. US player Phil Mickelson also queried Watson's management style publicly.

Poulter wrote in his new book that Watson's decision-making completely baffles him, adding that it gave Europe a real boost. He said that he finds it utterly bizarre, The BBC reported.

Poulter identifies Watson's failure to play Mickelson and regular partner Keegan Bradley in either of the Saturday sessions as a particularly strange decision. Five-time major champion Mickelson and 2011 US PGA winner Bradley won all three of their matches together at the 2012 Ryder Cup, and were also paired for the first two sessions of this year's event, winning once and losing once.

Poulter wrote that most of the players in the European team were astonished when they saw the Saturday morning pairings and Mickelson and Bradley's names not there. He also stated that it tells them that there are problems in the US team room, adding that it is the only explanation for leaving out two players like that.

Watson, who later issued an open letter taking full responsibility for the defeat, is also criticized for failing to adequately rotate his team in Poulter's book 'No Limits'.

Poulter stated that Watson's choices meant that seven of his players played 36 holes on Saturday, adding that he finds it hard to see the sense in that. He wrote that some of the Americans look shattered.