Ian Poulter makes last-gasp dash to Hong Kong Open in bid to keep his European Tour membership
Englishman in dash from Florida to make Fanling tee-off so he can be eligible for the Ryder Cup
English golfer Ian Poulter has dashed from his home in Florida to the UBS Hong Kong Open to ensure he can play in next year’s Ryder Cup, with three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and South Korean star Yang Yong-eun also in the line-up.
The presence of these three golfers in the field, along with top 10 players Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson, makes this year's tournament one of the best, in terms of big-name players, in recent years.
Englishman Poulter, who has become Europe’s key player in the biennial event, fell out of the world’s top 50 on Sunday, making him ineligible for the WGC HSBC Champions - which he won two years ago - and short of the 13 events he requires to remain a European Tour member.
That's what you call cutting it fine, passports arrived 7.15am, taking off at 9am to make flight to Hong Kong
He tweeted his thanks to American Rich Beem,the former US PGA Championship winner whose withdrawal from the Hong Kong event allows Poulter to play in the tournament. He also only received his passport less than two hours before his flight was due to take off. He is due to arrive in Hong Kong on Wednesday evening, which means he won't be able to have a practice round at Fanling.
He tweeted: "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." and "That's what you call cutting it fine, passports arrived 7.15am, taking off at 9am to make flight to Hong Kong."
Only members can qualify for Europe’s Ryder Cup team and Poulter would not even have been able to receive a wildcard from captain Darren Clarke.