Ian Poulter qualifies for Last 16 of Volvo Matchplay without a single win
Englishman Ian Poulter has made it for Saturday morning’s Round of Last 16 at the Volvo World Match Play Championship without winning a match. On Day 1, Poulter halved a match against Italian player Francesco Molinari and on Day 2, he halved against Paul
Lawrie.
Poulter was triumphant at the WGS version of the World Match Play Championship at Arizona last year, but he really needs to step up his game
for the next round. On Saturday, the player will face the World Number 1, Lee Westwood, who has won both his Match Play matches till now.
On the first day, Molinari was the dominant player among the two. The Italian player posted birdies on the first two holes and was 2 up. On par 5, 3rd hole, Poulter made a bogey but worked his way up by scoring the next hole. On the seventh hole,
Molinari missed a shot leaving Poulter in the lead. Between the birdies and bogeys in the remaining holes, the player finished the day all square at the end. Till the second last hole, Molinari was 1 up, but due to the birdie made by Poulter on the eighteenth,
the match was halved.
For the second match, Poulter had to face Paul Lawrie. It was a bumpy ride for both players but Lawrie got a relatively good start. Poulter missed a shot on the first hole but then got right back up by making a birdie on the second. Making two more birdies
on the fourth and sixth hole, the player was two up by the seventh hole.
On hole number eight, Lawrie holed a birdie putt followed by Poulter scoring a birdie as well. With Lawrie making another birdie on the tenth, the players were all square till hole number fourteen. At hole number fifteen, Poulter was 1 up, but Lawrie made
a birdie putt on the sixteenth, equaling the scores between the two. Till the eighteenth hole, the players were all square, which led to the match being halved.
All in all, these two interesting matches led to Poulter reaching the Last 16 without a win. Now the player is ready to face off Westwood on Day 3.
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