Poulter shares lead despite caddie becoming ill

IAN POULTER claimed a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the BMW International Open despite having his caddie hospitalised with pneumonia.

Scot Jimmy Rae, widely-known as “Edinburgh Jimmy,” felt ill during Thursday’s first round but managed to complete all 18 holes as Poulter carded an opening 65. He was then seen by the on-site doctor and ordered to go immediately to hospital where he was diagnosed with the illness and will remain until at least next weekend.

That left Poulter needing to find a new bagman before his second round yesterday and Colin Montgomerie’s caddie Andy Prodger answered his SOS. Prodger, ironically not working here because Montgomerie had pulled out on Tuesday to rest his injured back, caught the last flight from Edinburgh to London on Thursday night and was on the first flight to Munich yesterday morning.