Poulter relishes pressure in chase for first U.S. win

By Simon Evans

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Britain's Ian Poulter put himself in the tense atmosphere of a leading position at the Players Championship with his four-under 68 on Friday and said the pressure was fine by him.

The Englishman is in second spot, two shots off Germany's Alex Cejka, who leads at TPC Sawgrass with 11-under after two rounds.

Poulter, while having never won in the U.S. PGA Tour, is no stranger to pressure on the world stage.

The Briton was controversially included in last year's Ryder Cup via a wildcard selection, but silenced critics by producing four wins from five appearances in Kentucky.

"I don't think I could ever probably face as much pressure (as the Ryder Cup), to be honest with you. Everything from now on in, hopefully I can just enjoy playing golf," Poulter told reporters.

"I enjoy the course, the test and some of the tee shots that capture your attention. You have to step up and hit a decent tee shot at certain times -- I enjoy playing under pressure."

Poulter has had two top ten finishes from five events this year in a relatively light schedule following laser surgery on his eye after his solid showing at the Ryder Cup.

"I had a bit of time off for Christmas. I had extra time off with the eye surgery, and that seems working very, very well," Poulter said.