Poulter delivers his own Masters invite with win at Houston Open

Ian Poulter delivered another big moment Sunday, this one for himself.

Down to his last putt, Poulter made a 20-foot birdie on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Beau Hossler, and then he won the Houston Open with a par on the first extra hole to earn the last spot in the Masters, which begins on Thursday.

One week after Poulter was mistakenly told he had locked up a spot at Augusta National through the world ranking, he left no doubt by winning with a clutch moment reminiscent of his Ryder Cup heroics from Medinah in 2012. “I had to dig deep today,” said Poulter, who closed with a 5-under 67.

Hossler, who also shot 67, overcame a three-shot deficit with four straight birdies on the back nine. He had a chance to win on the 18th in regulation with a 30-foot birdie putt that trickled over the right edge of the cup.

That set the stage for Poulter, and the 42-year-old from England lived up to his nickname as The Postman by delivering his biggest putt in years.

Poulter pounded his chest five times when the putt dropped, and all Hossler could do was smile. Poulter won for the third time on the PGA Tour, and his first in America since the Match Play in 2010 at Arizona.

This was his first stroke-play victory in America, and the timing could not have been better.

It was his first victory since the HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championship event at Mission Hills in China in 2012. Along with going to the Masters, Poulter cracks the top 30 in the world and now is in good shape to be eligible for the rest of the majors.

He also has a two-year exemption, which is critical because he nearly lost his card a year ago until he was spared by a clerical error by the PGA Tour.