China crisis over for Poulter

Ian Poulter’s last-minute dash across the world to play in last week’s Hong Kong Open has turned out to be an unnecessary journey.

Poulter dropped out of the world’s top 50 on October 19 and was therefore ineligible for his planned appearance in the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, meaning he would be unable to play the 13 events required for European Tour membership.

Only members can qualify for Europe’s Ryder Cup team and that meant Poulter was forced into a frantic journey from Orlando to Hong Kong, but only after former US PGA champion Rich Beem generously agreed to give up his tournament invite.