Rory glory but agony for Poulter
THERE was glory yesterday f or Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai — but only a sense of what might have been for Ian Poulter, who missed a short putt to force a play-off at the last hole of the Turkish Airlines Open.
That pulled putt from six feet at the 18th meant the Englishman squandered a chance to win his first title in two years and allowed America’s rising star, Brooks Koepka, to win the penultimate event of the European Tour season.
In the wider scheme, the failure of Jamie Donaldson, Sergio Garcia or Marcel Siem to win here also ensured the absent McIlroy pocketed an £800,000 bonus for finishing top of the points list for the second time in three years.
Such was McIlroy’s lead in the Race, he has been able to take the past month off and will only return in this week’s Dubai finale.
It briefly looked as though Siem might claim the first of back-to-back wins he needed to make it interesting but the German dislocated a rib while stretching yesterday morning to wreck his hopes.
McIlroy, who has won The Open and the US PGA Championship this year, said: ‘This has been the best season of my career by a long way and to win the Race to Dubai for the second time is something truly special. I feel like I’ve really earned it.
‘Winning it for the first time two years ago was fantastic but I feel like I’m now a more complete player and my all-round game has moved to another level.
‘That four-week spell over the summer, f rom The Open to the US PGA Championship, would have to be the best golf of my life.
‘In some ways, the pressure is off next week but I’ll fight very hard to end the year on a high with another victory.’
Ryder Cup talisman Poulter was far less satisfied, despite returning to contention at the end of a miserable year in which he fell from 12th to 44th in the world rankings.
The Turkish Airlines tournament was his to win. But having held a sixshot lead after two rounds, he wobbled with a 75 on Saturday and his closing 67 was not enough to keep pace with 24-year- old Koepka, who won by a stroke.
‘It’s a disappointing outcome,’ said Poulter. ‘To have played three great rounds of golf and just one blip on Saturday is a real shame.’
Koepka carded a flawless closing 65 at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal to finish 17 under par.
He enjoyed four birdies on the front nine and holed from 40 feet for another on the 10th, before a brilliant approach to the 13th set up an eagle from just eight feet.
That gave him a two- shot lead and, although Poulter halved his deficit with his fifth birdie of the day on the same hole, the Englishman was unable to find another on the last, despite a superb l ong greenside bunker shot.
Poulter looked to have the benefit of seeing playing partner Lee Westwood hole his birdie putt from an almost identical position on the 18th but added: ‘It was probably a bad thing that I watched Westy’s putt because I think he pushed it slightly and it fell in the right edge.
‘I knew my putt was going to break right to left. I hit it on what I thought was a right edge on a decent pace and it broke across the hole.’
Stephen Gallacher finished top Scot when he tied for 15th with a closing round of 70.