Poulter's great expectations

Ian Poulter arrived in America today with “massive expectations” of himself in the USPGA Championship.

Poulter headed straight for Oak Hill in New York for the final major of the year after his second victory of the season and fifth of his career in the inaugural Nordic Open in Copenhagen.

And the confident 27-year-old is not planning on simply making up the numbers in just his second major on the other side of the Atlantic.

“I have massive expectations of the USPGA now,” said Poulter after a final-round 66 gave him a 22-under-par total and one-shot victory over Colin Montgomerie. “I’m very, very confident the way I played this week.

“I really hit some fantastic shots all week and very few off line. Obviously the course next week is going to be a lot tougher but if I keep hitting the middle of the fairways and holing some putts I’m really looking forward to a big couple of weeks.

“I came here after eight days without touching a club, hit it bad on Monday, rusty on Tuesday and started to get the feeling back on Wednesday, and it shows all the work I have been doing with David Leadbetter is paying off.”

Poulter’s win also paid off for a local woman who had bet 1,000 Danish Kroner (approximately £100) on him at odds of 22/1 at the start of the week.

“I was having dinner on Saturday night in an Italian restaurant when she just passed me this betting slip and said ‘you had better win”’, added Poulter, who pocketed a cheque for £187,000.

Montgomerie had a chance to force a play-off on the last but left his birdie putt short from 15 feet, while playing partner Soren Hansen birdied the last three holes to claim a share of third on 20 under with Scot Stephen Gallacher and France’s Gregory Havret.

The 40-year-old Scot, playing his first event since being forced to pull out of the Open after seven holes of his first round with a hand injury, said after his closing 68: “I was given a chance by Ian when he parred the last three holes, which are all birdie opportunities.

“My playing partner Soren birdied all three and I needed two but I got only one.

“I didn’t quite get the momentum and didn’t have the feel with the putter. I left too many short this week, including the one on the last for a tie.

“But it’s coming back and it’s good after three weeks off that I have competed well. It’s a good start to the back end of the year because the front end did not exist.

“Winning is nice but if you can’t win you finish second. To be two under after the first day and get to 21 under is very good.”