England’s Ian Poulter led from start to finish to capture The Celtic Manor Wales Open, birdieing the final hole in front of record crowds to secure his fourth title on The European Tour International Schedule with a three stroke winning margin.
Poulter started the final round two strokes ahead of local favourite Phillip Price and kept his nose in front of the chasing pack with a single birdie on the front nine. But just as the field started to close in, Poulter made a decisive move, holing a 50 foot eagle putt on the 11th to open up a three stroke cushion.
Two late bogeys at the 15th and 16th opened the door again but when his nearest challenger Jarrod Moseley bogeyed the last the gap was back to two strokes and Poulter calmly made that three when he birdied the 72nd hole to complete a two under par 70 and win the title with a total of 270, 18 under par.
His victory also marked a significant milestone for the Challenge Tour as he notched up a century of European Tour titles won by former members of the Challenge Tour.
Poulter has now won in each of the last four years on The European Tour and, like he did in Italy last year, did it by leading all the way. His winning cheque of €347,359 (£250,000) was the largest of his career and lifted him from 135th to 14th in the Volvo Order of Merit with €392,764 (£282,768).
Poulter’s victory was all the more impressive as he was struggling to shrug off a bout of tonsillitis all week.
“I had no expectations at the start of the week,” he said. “After the pro-am I went back to my room and fell asleep for two hours which shows you how drained I was. But to then shoot 65 in the first round, feeling as bad as I did, was very pleasing.
“I had a six shot lead at one stage yesterday and played fantastic. Today I hit a couple of silly shots at the end of the back nine but birdied the last and I am delighted to have finished the job off.”
His victory also justified all the hard work he has put in rebuilding his swing. “I’m definitely moving in the right direction. I’ve had a few bad weeks but this proves the work I have been doing is good and paying off.”
Poulter’s playing partner Phillip Price was hoping to become the first Welsh winner of The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open but, after starting brightly with two birdies in the first four holes, faltered with bogeys on the sixth and eighth holes. More shots slipped away on the back nine and a closing 74, two over par, for a 12 under par total of 276 and joint seventh place was a disappointing end of a week that promised so much for one of Europe’s Ryder Cup heroes.
“It has been a disappointing day,” said Price. “I had high hopes and it didn’t go my way. It was just a bad day. I started well but then struggled in the middle and seemed to fritter shots away on the back nine.
“But Ian played fantastic all four days. I think he could have won by so many but just made a few mistakes. He deserved to win as he has played so well all week.”
In the end Darren Fichardt, Jonathan Lomas and Jarrod Moseley emerged as Poulter’s main challengers. Fichardt, winner of the Qatar Masters in March, birdied the last two holes for a closing 68 to set the clubhouse target of 15 under par, 273.
That score was matched moments later by Lomas, who similarly birdied the last for a 68. That left Moseley as the only man able to catch Poulter. Moseley had moved into striking distance of the leader with three birdies in the front nine and another at the 11th, and when Poulter dropped two late shots, was only one behind playing the last. But needing a birdie to put the pressure on, Moseley pushed his drive and clipped to top of a tree with his second shot. His ball ricocheted into thick rough and from there was unable to reach the green in three as he ran up a bogey six. That dropped him back into a share of second place.
“This game dishes these things out now and again,” said Moseley, who smashed the course record with a nine under par 63 in the third round. “I couldn’t make a birdie on the home stretch and it was unfortunate to make a bogey on the last but overall I’m happy with the way I am playing. Just a tough break on the last proved costly.”
