"If Monty had talked to Poulter, then he’d have realized that Poulter had a cast-iron reason for not turning up in Paris."

That's right, Poulter had to play in an Orlando Magic fundraiser, so take that Alistair Tait, who takes Monty to task:

To single out Poulter for missing this week’s Vivendi Trophy points to a deeper rift with the Englishman. How else do you explain why he named only Poulter when he could have criticized other potential 2010 Ryder Cup team members who failed to play in what was formerly the Seve Trophy?

Now that is a fair point since Justin Rose was playing in the same event and also passed on this week's Event Formerly Known As The Seve Trophy.