Poulter pockets €625,000 after playoff triumph

BEFORE the Volvo Masters began on Thursday, Ian Poulter, the 28-year-old Ryder Cupper from Milton Keynes, said that he could only mark himself one out of 10 for the season.

Even after yesterday's play-off victory over Sergio Garcia, he still wasn't inclined to improve that rating beyond seven.

That's an indication of how demanding a standard Poulter sets for himself. He shot a final round of 70 that included three successive birdies from the 8th only to complete the final eight holes in a shaky one over. He finished up in a tie with Garcia on seven under before claiming the €625,000 winner's cheque at the 18th, the first play-off hole.