Poulter makes mad dash for Ryder spot
Europe talisman in frantic flight to Hong Kong
IAN POULTER has had to make a last-minute dash from Florida to Hong Kong to ensure he can play in next year’s Ryder Cup. The Englishman, who has become Europe’s talisman in the biennial clash with the US, was forced into making the 19-hour trip after he dropped out of the world’s top 50 on Sunday. That meant he became ineligible for the forthcoming WGC HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai and would therefore not have been able to fulfil the 13 events required for European Tour membership.
Only members can qualify for the Ryder Cup team, so Poulter had no choice but to drop everything and travel to Fanling for this week’s Hong Kong Open.
The 39-year-old also appears to have called in a few favours from an unlikely source after American player Rich Beem, now a Sky commentator, agreed to give up his tournament invite to allow Poulter a place in the field.
With a visa required, it also emerged that his passport was only returned to him less than two hours before his flight was due to take off. Posting a picture on his Twitter account of a FedEx parcel, Poulter wrote: ‘That’s what you call cutting it fine, passports arrived 7.15am, taking off at 9am to make flight to Hong Kong.’
And in a nod to former USPGA champion Beem’s kind gesture, he added: ‘Thanks to @beemerpga for giving up his invitation to allow me to play in Hong Kong. Where would you like me to take you for dinner?’
European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke will no doubt have breathed a sigh of relief given Poulter’s outstanding record in the competition, but whether American counterpart Davis Love III is quite so happy with Beem’s intervention remains to be seen.
It all added up to a fine day overall for Clarke after the R&A confirmed the Open will be held at his home course of Royal Portrush in 2019.
This will be only the second time golf’s oldest major has been played outside Scotland and England as it returns to Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951.
Former winner Clarke, whose replica Claret Jug is on display at Portrush, admitted he never thought it would be possible to contest The Open Championship on home soil.
‘I played a lot of my golf here, I lived here and was a proud member here, but to think would we ever get through the dark times Northern Ireland has had, to get to this stage where we have the biggest and best tournament in the world, I’d be very foolish to say yes,’ he said.
‘Nobody could foresee that coming through in the bad old days, but to see how far we have all come, how far our politicians have moved this part of the country on, it’s been brilliant.’
Graeme McDowell, whose brother Gary is a member of the greenkeeping staff at Portrush, said: ‘As a local, when the day comes it’s going to be a great moment. I will be turning 40 that year but I will be expecting to be there and to win a Claret Jug in my home town would be dream stuff.’
Rory McIlroy, who holds the Portrush course record of 61, added: ‘To hear that The Open is going there in 2019 is a dream come true.
‘I never thought I would be able to play an Open Championship at home. I’m really excited.’