England’s Ian Poulter beat Beau Hossler of the USA at the first hole of a sudden-death playoff for the Houston Open to secure a place in The Masters at Augusta National this week.
Ian Poulter wins Houston Open and earns Masters start
A week after he was wrongly told that he had done enough to secure a Masters berth through the World Rankings, Ian Poulter claimed a place in the year’s first Major with victory in the Houston Open.
Poulter had to hole a 20-foot birdie putt on the 72nd green to force extra holes against American Beau Hossler. Displaying the sort of grit he’s shown in Ryder Cups, Poulter sent the putt home and beat his chest in celebration.
On the first playoff hole, Hossler found sand from the tee and again with his approach. With Poulter safely on the green in two, Hossler thinned his greenside bunker shot into the water and handed the title to Poulter.
It was the Englishman’s third PGA Tour victory and his first since the 2010 Match Play. The win could not have come at a more opportune time.On reaching the quarter finals of the WGC Match Play last week, Poulter was informed that he had done enough to make the top-50 on the Official World Golf Ranking and so earn a spot in The Masters. He was then told that a mistake had been made and that he actually needed to win his quarter final match against Kevin Kisner to make it to Augusta. He lost 8&6.
"Last week was painful," he said. "To come here this week, I was tired. I was frustrated on Thursday. ... I was patient. I waited my time. And this is amazing."
With the win, Poulter has climbed back into the top-30 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Jordan Spieth finished strongly in Houston with a 66. He tied for third with Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo. It was Spieth’s best finish on this season’s PGA Tour. When Spieth won the Masters in 2015, he finished tied second in this event.
"Goal accomplished for the week," Spieth said. "I've made some big strides from my last couple tournaments. I'm very excited for what next week holds."
Houston Open Golf Club of Houston, Humble, Texas 29 March – 1 April Purse: $7,000,000 Par: 72
1 Ian Poulter (Eng) 73 64 65 67 269 $1,260,000 2 Beau Hossler (USA) 65 68 69 67 269 $756,000 T3 Jordan Spieth (USA) 68 67 71 66 272 $406,000 T3 Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 69 68 67 68 272 $406,000 5 Sam Ryder (USA) 66 68 71 68 273 $280,000 T6 Keith Mitchell (USA) 67 71 67 69 274 $243,250 T6 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 68 68 69 69 274 $243,250 T8 Matt Every (USA) 67 70 72 66 275 $182,000 T8 Julian Suri (USA) 66 69 73 67 275 $182,000 T8 Abraham Ancer (Mex) 68 66 72 69 275 $182,000 T8 Matt Kuchar (USA) 68 68 69 70 275 $182,000 T8 Russell Henley (USA) 69 71 70 65 275 $182,000 T8 Paul Dunne (Ire) 64 71 69 71 275 $182,000
Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage
