USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP:YOU'D swear Tiger Woods was the only player to miss the cut at last month's British Open. True, as only he can, the world's number one has turned that setback on its head to bounce back in recent weeks. But what of Ian Poulter? He, too, missed the cut at Turnberry – a rare indiscretion these days from the fashion clotheshorse – and, what do you know, this man who believes in his own destiny has jumped into the thick of contention in this 91st USPGA.

Poulter can see clearly these days, as much to do with a mindset that oozes self-confidence as the fact he underwent eye surgery at the start of the year aimed at improving poor vision in fading light and correcting astigmatism in both eyes. “Having good eyesight is the most important part of any golfer’s armoury,” remarked Poulter at the time.

It would seem the clarity of vision has transferred to his golf game, with Poulter bounding into the picture at Hazeltine National yesterday where he added a second round 70 to his opening 72 to reach the midpoint on 142, two under par.

If Poulter’s diversifying into the fashion world – setting up his own clothes design company, which includes tartan clothing registered with the Scottish Tartan Authority and the motto, “Weave Truth With Trust” – has demonstrated a keen marketing brain, nothing would broaden his appeal more than actually lifting a major.

Does he have it in him to claim a major? He, for one, believes he does; and his performance in last year’s Ryder Cup, where he was Europe’s leading points winner in defeat, would indicate the bigger the stage the better he plays.

Indeed, it’s a measure of how high he sets his sights these days that Poulter confessed to being “a little bit disappointed” after his round, which had started with a double bogey six.

“I’d a tricky chip from a horrible lie, but I made a real hash of it really,” confessed Poulter of that opening setback. “But it was good to get back into it.”

Although he is without a win on tour this season – his best finish on the European Tour was third place in the French Open, while his best performance on the US Tour came with a runner-up finish to Henrik Stenson in the Players championship.

Poulter came to Minnesota with a belief that the problems in his game from Turnberry had been rectified for two reasons: firstly, getting some rest (“I had a whole week to relax at home before picking a club back up to start hitting balls again”); and, secondly, correcting a chink in his swing.

Of that swing change, Poulter observed: “Yeah, it’s back on the right line away from the ball, which is the key to setting the whole rhythm of my golf swing up. If it gets a little away from me on the way back, it’s hard to drop it back on the right line on the way inside. It’s definitely on the right line now and it feels a lot better.”

Poulter revelled in the atmosphere created by the huge galleries here. “The crowds are fantastic, as busy as I’ve seen any major all year . . . so, it’s good fun.” What made it better fun for the Ryder Cup star was an ability to grab five birdies in windy conditions that came on the fifth, sixth, 12th, 14th and 16th before dropping a shot on the 17th. “A shame to bogey 17, a hole that caught me yesterday too,” he said.

And yet, as Poulter stood outside the recorder’s cabin, there was a lingering feeling that he’d left more shots out on the course. “I mean, I’ve played great. But I certainly left a few putts out there (on Thursday), putts from six, eight, 10 feet, which I felt as if I hit good putts. But greens get a little bit bumpy, poa annua sort of grows at different speeds and they don’t run quite as true as what they do first thing in the morning.”

Poulter hasn’t won on the European Tour since collecting the Madrid Open in 2006, his seventh won on the European Tour, and hasn’t won anywhere since the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan in 2007. And, yet, it would be fair to say that he has progressed more as a golfer in the past two years despite that winless streak. He reacted to getting the wild card captain’s pick from Nick Faldo for Valhalla by doggedly assuming the on-course leadership of the team and he has started to contend in the really big tournaments, finishing runner-up to Pádraig Harrington in last year’s British Open and then filling second place behind Stenson at Sawgrass.

All that’s missing is for him to take the big step to a major win. At least he has put himself into contention here going into the weekend; and, as everyone knows, that’s what it is all about for the first two rounds.