WHEN Ian Poulter teed off yesterday in his final round at the 142nd Open shortly after noon he appeared to be little more than a sideshow to the main drama of the day.
The Englishman was eight shots adrift of the overnight leader, his compatriot Lee Westwood, and looked to have precious little, if any, hope of contending.
With a brisk north-easterly wind buffeting competitors remorselessly, the brutal Muirfield course Poulter had criticised after the first round was playing every one of its 7192 yards.
The 18th hole had, he Tweeted in his inimitable fashion on Thursday, needed "a windmill and a clown face". This formidable track was, though, no laughing matter yesterday. The likelihood of players tumbling off the leaderboard in their droves was not in doubt in such demanding conditions. But going forwards? Not a chance.
Yet, just a couple hours after getting his round under way, Poulter had become one of the central attractions on the East Lothian links. The hero of Europe's win in the Ryder Cup at Medinah last year had picked up no fewer than six shots on the field in a remarkable eight-hole stretch and lay just two off the pace.
Poulter got the run under way by pitching to six feet at the 559-yard fifth and holing for birdie. However, it was at the ninth that his run really kicked into life. He found the green at the 554-yard, par-5 hole with a 3-iron and rolled in a 12-foot putt for an eagle to huge roars from the partisan galleries.
Red figures were promptly added at the following three holes. With Westwood and others faltering behind him, the possibility of the 37-year-old from Stevenage laying his hands on the Claret Jug at that point was distinct. Alas, a bogey at the short 16th, where he pulled his tee shot to the left of the green and into the second cut of rough, halted his charge. He did well to hack on to 12 feet, but his putting touch, exquisite up until that point, momentarily deserted him and his attempt to salvage a par stayed agonisingly above ground.
Poulter failed to birdie the long penultimate hole and could do no better than a regulation par at the last. He signed for a four-under-par 67, the second lowest round of the week at that stage, to be leader in the clubhouse on one over. At that point, with so many players struggling, he was in a strong position. But the wily and experienced campaigner suspected it would not quite be enough. "We'll have to wait and see," he said. "A couple of putts slipped by out there. They may have been what was required in order for me to get my hands on the trophy."
Ultimately, he was proved correct. Still, a third-place finish was highly respectable. And the enormously popular professional certainly provided tremendous excitement for the paying spectators.
"The Open Championship is a lot of fun," he reflected. "Playing golf here in front of home fans is always a lot of fun. You can feed off the guys out there. That is exactly what I did around the turn. It was very enjoyable.
"When I rolled in my birdie putt on the 12th to get myself to level par I was right in the mix, just two back. I realised they had got a lot of tricky holes to play. When you get out in front and post a number, sometimes it is a good position to be in."
Poulter revealed that Paul Lawrie, who won the Open at Carnoustie back in 1999, had been his inspiration going into the last day. "He came from 10 shots back to win," he recalled. "That certainly spurred me on. This tournament always creates a lot of drama."
Poulter was left to rue his bogey at the 16th, one of only two he made all afternoon, after both Henrik Stenson and eventual winner Phil Mickelson had edged a shot and four shots ahead of him respectively. "I can only be happy with a 67," he stressed. "But a few putts slipped by. And if I could have one shot again, it would be my tee shot at the 16th."
The flamboyant sportsman will not torment himself with thoughts of what might have been for long. Rather, he will take huge encouragement from finishing so impressively in another Open. Poulter finished runner-up to Padraig Harrington at Royal Birkdale in 2008 and here once again he showed he has the ability and mental strength to land a major title.
"I enjoy the Open," he remarked. "I have been frustrated these last few months because I know I have been playing very well. I don't seem to get frustrated in this tournament. I enjoy that it is difficult. I am more patient than I normally am. I enjoy what it means to be back home playing golf."
The US PGA Championship at Oak Hill next month will be on foreign soil, but given his strong showing in the Open at Muirfield, Poulter will head into it with genuine hopes of securing victory.
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