Poulter and Rose eye Cup dream

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Reuters) - Close friends Ian Poulter and Justin Rose will fulfil a long-cherished dream if they play together for Europe in this week's Ryder Cup against the United States.

The British duo represented England at last year's World Cup in China, finishing fourth, and they have spoken countless times about being paired at the Ryder Cup.

"We've played a lot of golf together," Poulter told reporters at Valhalla Golf Club on Wednesday. "We're good friends and I think we will be a very strong partnership this week.

"He's excited and I'm excited. You know, we've talked about it for such a long time that we can't wait. I certainly can't wait to get out there and be good friends, be good partners and put up a good show."

Poulter, one of captain Nick Faldo's two wildcard picks for Valhalla, will be making his second appearance at a Ryder Cup while Rose is among four rookies in the European line-up.

"To say Justin is going to be a rookie this year is amazing," Poulter said of the world number 13, a four-times winner on the European Tour.

"The kind of player he is and how good he's been over a number of years, it's amazing to me he is going to be a rookie. Justin is a great player and I think you'll see him showing all his colours this week. He's in form."

Rose, who produced top-12 finishes in all four majors last year, believes his experience of the 1997 amateur Walker Cup will help him handle the pressures he will face this week.

NERVOUS EXPERIENCES

"One of the most nervous (experiences) I've ever had is the Walker Cup," the 28-year-old said. "You could compare it to the Ryder Cup in terms of what it means to you at the time, how much effort you've put into getting into a team and then it becoming a reality.

"In some ways, I feel like I have enough experience under my belt and I've been in a few situations that you can't really call comparable but that I believe will help me this week.

"In that regard, I don't feel like I'm coming in here not knowing what to expect but, at the same time, it's the first year where I can come here and feel confident about being part of the team.

"Last year was a nice year for me in terms of that self-belief factor," added the Englishman, who clinched the 2007 European Tour order of merit title by winning the season-ending Volvo Masters in Spain.

"It's the first year that I felt like I wanted to make the Ryder Cup team and should make the Ryder Cup team whereas in the past, I hoped I would make the Ryder Cup team if I play well."

Rose and Poulter played together on Wednesday against Swedes Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson on the second day of official practice at Valhalla.

The 37th Ryder Cup starts on Friday with the opening foursomes matches.

(Editing by Padraic Halpin)