IAN POULTER knows it will not be easy to sell his huge collection of golf goodies to help coronavirus charities.
The Ryder Cup legend, 44, is a “fanatical hoarder” of memorabilia, with more than a thousand hats, caps, shirts and pairs of shoes.
Read our coronavirus in sport live blog for the latest news & updates
But now he is auctioning off more than 900 items, saying he could only do it for such an “incredibly worthy cause”.
Every spare inch of his six-bedroom home has been taken up with the souvenirs from the Ryder Cup hero’s twenty-year professional career.
And that includes part of the huge garage used to house his treasured collection of 12 Ferraris, and two other sports cars.
The golfing items will be offered for sale on his website from next week, and the Brit renowned for his extravagant fashion sense is hoping for a massive response.
Orlando-based Poults said: “I’ve got a bit of an OCD streak in me and hate to throw anything away.
“I really am a fanatical hoarder. My motto is if there’s space available, fill it with stuff you want to keep.
“It will be a bit of a wrench to let most of it go but it will serve a dual purpose — allowing golf lovers to own a piece of memorabilia and for them to help me spot the people worst affected by Covid-19.”
Poulter is selling 230 pairs of shoes, 300 hats and visors, 212 gloves and 75 shirts and other tops, hoping to raise around £75,000 for those worst affected.
He said: “I’m going to put them on my website next week and divide them into three categories — classic memorabilia, every-day stuff and mint-condition items, which is stuff that was made for me and I never got to wear!
“Doing it that way means we can charge different amounts. For instance the gloves will go for £30, £50 and £100, and the shoes for £100, £150 and £200. The hats and tops will also have three different price tags.
“Hopefully, there will be something in most people’s price range, even in these difficult times.
“I didn’t want to do an auction because you price too many people out and if you organise a raffle a lot of people end up with nothing.
“It’s fairer to do it this way and if we can hit the £75,000 target I’ll be absolutely made up.
“I’ve signed every item, spread over a period of two weeks, a couple of hours at a time. I couldn’t tell you how long it took altogether — I don’t want to know!”
Poulter is keeping some of his most treasured souvenirs, including the shoes he wore when he shot the lowest round of his career, 60 at the Hong Kong Open.
He added: “There are things I couldn’t bear to let go, like some Ryder Cup gear and stuff that has special, personal significance.
“But the sale items include four pairs of Ryder Cup shoes from Celtic Manor — it would have been five if we hadn’t had the bright idea of throwing our shoes to the crowd when we finished off our win on the Monday!
“There are shoes from my two World Golf Championship victories, the Australian Masters, my win in Singapore and from some of my wins on the European Tour.
“We haven’t decided exactly where the money will be donated but I’d like it to go to around five different Covid-19 causes, divided between the UK and the USA.
“I’ve already worked closely with one of my main backers, Aurae Lifestyle, to donate 200 boxes of food to nurses at hospitals in Orlando and New York and at St Thomas Hospital in London.
“Nobody needs me to tell them how devastating Covid-19 is.
“But if we all do our bit to help, especially those of us fortunate enough to be able to do more than most, I honestly believe we will come through this stronger and closer than ever.”
