Ian Poulter lands the JBWere Australian Masters title as Luke Donald falls behind
Englishman Ian Poulter posted a remarkable victory at the JBWere Australian Masters on Sunday, December, 18 to move to the top-20 from a low of number 28 on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Playing the scenic Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne, Poulter
have had the lead in the opening rounds of the event and was hoping to bag the title in order to keep many of his lucrative sponsorship deals. He finished for a low of 15-under on the aggregate, three shots better than the approaching contender Australian
Marcus Fraser.
Poulter said. "(My concentration) was flawless the whole day. I was happy how I approached every shot. I hit my targets, it was fairly methodical, but for me it was a nice round of golf."
This is the second victory in the year after the Englishman won the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain in May and has been lurking in shadows to bag another victory on the European Tour.
Starting off the final round, trailing the veteran Geoff Ogilvy by two shots, Poulter pulled in a blistering eagle on the opening par-four, to level Ogilvy’s overnight lead. Poulter pulled in a few more birdies on the front before making the turn while Ogilvy
who has normally played better front nines, remained birdie-less before making the turn. He had to settle for no fewer than 12 pars before carding birdies on 13th and 15th, which had barely any effect on the rampaging Poulter.
"Ian played very well and I didn't," said Ogilvy. "I couldn't make a birdie all day. I am disappointed, but what are you going to do?"
Fraser, although a runners up in the event, was fairly satisfied with his performance, especially on the prospects of challenging the grizzled Ogilvy and Poulter for the top slot.
"Anything is possible, but you have got Ian Poulter and Geoff Ogilvy up there in front of you and those guys are too good to mess it up," Fraser said.
World number one Luke Donald finished for a disappointing four-under on the final day, finishing for a 72. Already termed as the most successful golfer of the year after being awarded the Player of the Year on both PGA and European Tours, Donald probably
used the event to unwind after a whirlwind season across the globe. He won the Money Lists on both sides of the Atlantic, to become the first person in the history of the sports to bag the accolade. He finished alongside Greg Chalmers, winner of the consecutive
Aussie titles, the Australian Open and the Australian PGA Championship last month.
Poulter will be returning to England as a happy man and will continue to pose a major threat in the new calendar year of the tour.
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