ROUND-UP More to come from Poulter after fine win

Ian Poulter believes his best is yet to come after playing his way into the Masters.

The Englishman needed a win at the Houston Open to advance into the year’s first Major and duly delivered, making a 20-foot putt for birdie to get into a play-off and then capitalising on a Beau Hossler mistake to win a play-off.

It is all a far cry from last season when the 42-year old thought he had lost his card in America before being handed a reprieve after a recalculation.

The win was his first in six years but Poulter is now fully focused on getting back to his best and earning a place at the Ryder Cup.

He said: “It’s tough when you’re down, when you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, when everything seems to be going wrong, it’s hard, it gets you down.

“However, it’s not the first time I’ve gone through some rollercoasters. That’s as low as I’ve ever been, that’s as far down the world rankings as I’ve been, questioning whether you’ve got a Tour card or not. It isn’t very good.

“It’s not very good for your mental strength. It’s not very good for your psyche but to reassess, to reform the team. Paul Dunkley, my agent, has done an incredible job, simplifying my life to get me back on track, it’s been amazing. The journey continues.

“I’ve had 19 good years on tour and I guess I’ve got another couple coming. There’s life in the old dog yet.”

With just one place up for grabs, only victory at the Golf Club of Houston would have been enough for the Englishman to earn his right to play in the season’s first Major after narrowly missing out through his world rankings position and a mix-up during the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play last week.

Poulter found himself 51st in this week’s world rankings, with the top 50 players receiving an invite to Augusta National. This came two days after he was informed he had done enough to qualify ahead of his quarter-final in Mexico, only to be told 10 minutes before his defeat to Kevin Kisner that he required another victory.

His chances of qualification looked slim when he carded a poor first round, where he hit a one-over par 73 to sit 123rd, but he recovered to record a flawless eight-under on Friday and seven birdies on Saturday to share the lead with Hossler ahead of the final round.

Poulter, who held a fourshot lead midway through the final round, trailed by one with three holes remaining after Hossler rattled in four successive birdies from the 12th. However, the Englishman holed out a 20-foot birdie putt at the last to extend the tournament.

Hossler’s quest for his first PGA title ended in disaster after finding bunkers with his first two shots when replaying the 18th.

His third shot from a greenside bunker found water, handing t he i nitiative to Poulter, who kept his nerve to secure victory with a steady par — and sealing his first title since the 2012 WGC-HSBC Champions.

INBEE Park and Pernilla Lindberg are heading into an extra day to decide the ANA Inspiration winner in California.

The duo played four play-off holes but could not be separated before darkness fell in Rancho Mirage.

Jennifer Song had joined them on the extra holes, after they tied on 15-under 273 in regulation play, but the American was eliminated with a par on the third hole.

Park then made a six-foot putt on the extra par-five 18th, followed by a two-foot putt by Lindberg.

It left both in contention to be crowned winner of the first women’s Major of the year.

Ian Poulter shows his delight as he sinks the winning putt to triumph in the Houston Open.