“I haven't played to my full potential and when that happens, it will be just me and Tiger.” And with those few ill-chosen words, which he claims were taken out of context, Ian Poulter has found the golfing world crashing upon his head.

The 32-year-old Englishman has always shot from the lip, a colourful addition to the all-too-often bland backdrop of professional golf. He has left himself open to ridicule and accusations of arrogance - but in this month's edition of Golf World magazine, he seems to have gone too far. “The trouble is I don't rate anyone else,” he was quoted as saying.

A hurt and “humiliated” Poulter has given his side of the story after walking into his own desert storm at the Dubai Desert Classic. After a creditable, two-under-par first round of 70 that left him trailing the leader - who else, but Woods? - by five shots, Poulter admitted yesterday that he had plenty of fences to mend.

Poulter, who was also pictured in in the nude in the magazine, but with a golf bag strategically placed, argued that his comments should be taken with only Woods in mind. “I have no chance of being No1 in the world while Tiger is playing,” he said. “So all I can shoot at is No2. What's wrong with that?

“Can I get to No2? Yeah. Justin [Rose] moved so far up the world rankings last year and [if he does the same this year], there's a chance of him taking the No2 spot. If people do play well over a period of two years, you can get to No2. But you can't catch Tiger.

“It would be a dream to see Tiger Woods and then me as you look down the world rankings. What's wrong with saying that? Is it disrespectful to everybody else? I don't think so.”

And on not rating anyone else? “The whole answer to the question has been taken out of context,” he said. “I'm not going to say something that disrespectful to so many people. I respect them all.”

Poulter argued that when he was asked to list those players whom he thought would win the majors, it was unfair to expect him to look beyond himself. “That's accepting defeat,” he said. “Go and talk to a psychologist and he'll tell you exactly the same.”

There was some consolation for Poulter in the guise of Paul McGinley, his Ryder Cup team-mate. “He laughed about it and found it very funny,” Poulter said. Now, though, he must get back to concentrating on the game in hand.

With four holes to play yesterday, one player for whom all seemed well with the world was Colin Montgomerie. He was within one shot of Woods, his playing partner, and looking forward to posting a good score.

Yet, by the time he slumped away from his final green a little less than an hour later, the Scot was trailing the world No1 by seven strokes.

He had done well to get to four under par after 13 holes - a 40ft putt from off the green for a birdie at the 4th, his thirteenth, adding a particular spring to his step - but double bogeys at the 6th and 9th, both the result of errant drives, brought an early end to this particular challenge.

Perhaps Montgomerie's implosion was the consequence of playing alongside Woods. So good was the American's play that he could recall only one bad shot in a round of 65 that left him two shots ahead of a chasing pack of 11.

The shot of the day belonged to Miguel Ángel Jiménez, whose six-iron to the 173-yard 7th, his sixteenth, landed “on the fly” for a hole in one.