Poulter heads to Augusta after playoff win
HUMBLE, Texas — Ian Poulter delivered another big moment Sunday, this one for himself.
Down to his last putt at the Golf Club of Houston, Poulter made a 20-foot birdie on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Beau Hossler, then won the Houston Open with a par on the first extra hole to earn the last spot in the Masters.
One week after Poulter was mistakenly told he had locked up a spot at the year’s first major by moving up far enough in the World Golf Ranking, the 42-year-old Englishman left no doubt by winning with a clutch moment reminiscent of his heroics in Europe’s one-point win at the 2012 Ryder Cup.
“I had to dig deep today,” said Poulter, who closed with a 5-under-par 67 and finished at 19-under 269.
Hossler, who also shot a 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 he lived up to his nickname as “The Postman” by delivering his biggest putt in years. Poulter pounded his chest five times when the ball fell into the cup, and all Hossler could do was smile.
“I did think I’d made it,” Hossler said, “but it hung out there. Ian basically had the same putt, and there’s no way he was going to miss it after watching my ball. I gave Ian the perfect read to make his putt. I knew he was going to make it.”
In the playoff on the 18th, one of the PGA Tour’s more daunting finishing holes off the tee — with water down the left side and a bunker to the right — Hossler found the bunker for the second time. He hit into a greenside bunker, and his third shot caught way too much ball and went over the green and into the water.
Poulter was safely on the green as Hossler took his penalty drop, chipped onto the green and took two putts for a triple bogey.
Jordan Spieth closed with a 66 to share third with Emiliano Grillo (68) at 16-under 272, and Spieth’s best finish against a full field since he tied for second in the Dell Technologies Championship in September gives him much-needed momentum for the Masters. Sam Ryder (68) was fifth at 15 under.
A week after finishing second at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship for the best finish by far of his rookie PGA Tour season, former Baylor School standout Keith Mitchell (69) shared sixth with Henrik Stenson (69) at 14 under. Mitchell made four birdies Sunday, including three on the back nine, but bogeyed the par-4 17th. The 26-year-old earned $243,250 and 95 FedEx Cup points.
Another Baylor alum, Luke List (72), was part of an eightway tie for 24th at 10 under. He earned $54,162 and 32 FedEx Cup points.
Poulter won for the third time on the PGA Tour, and the timing could not have been better. When he reached the quarterfinals of the Dell Technologies Match Play last weekend in Austin, he was told it was enough to move him into the top 50 in the world by the end of the weekend, the cutoff for qualifying for the Masters.
It turned out he needed to win his quarterfinal, and Poulter was informed of the mistake before he teed off in what turned out to be an 8-and-6 loss to Kevin Kisner.
Poulter was so disappointed, he contemplated not going to the Houston Open, and when he opened with a 73 in a first round of low scoring, he packed his bags and prepared to go home to Florida the next day. Instead, he bounced back with a 64, then shot 65-67 on the weekend.
“Last week was painful,” he said. “To come here this week, I was tired. I was frustrated on Thursday. … I was patient. I waited my time. And this is amazing.”
It was his first victory overall since the 2012 HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championship in China. That came a month after Poulter led Europe to a stunning turnaround in the Ryder Cup by making five straight birdies to win a fourballs match and give Europe momentum to overcome a four-point deficit at Medinah Country Club in Illinois.
Along with going to the Masters, Poulter will crack the top 30 in the world and is in good shape to be eligible for the rest of the majors this year. He also has a two-year exemption on tour, critical because he nearly lost his card a year ago until he was spared by a clerical error.
“The journey continues. I’ve had 19 good years on tour, and I guess I’ve got another couple coming,” Poulter said. “I think I’ve got some good golf left in me. I think I proved it this week. So there’s life in the old dog yet.”