Poulter reveals fresh injury niggle

Ian Poulter, forced to take time off recently after hurting his knee playing basketball, is having treatment for a neck strain on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

The world number six, playing in the European Tour’s flagship event for the first time since 2007 following changes to the course, has been suffering on and off for more than two months.

“It’s been looked at and they can’t find any structural problem, but it appears to go into spasm after sleep,” said manager Paul Dunkley.

“A physio came and cricked it last night and that’s given Ian full movement, but he’ll keep having it massaged.

“He was able to hit balls this morning and I don’t think there’s any doubt about him playing on Thursday.”

Poulter is back in Europe for only one week. The Wales Open at Celtic Manor is in two weeks and Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie wanted as many of his potential team as possible to play, but the World Match Play champion is returning to America to prepare for the US Open a fortnight later.

“I would like to be there, but it just doesn’t fit into my schedule,” he said. “It’s all about schedule – I can’t take any tournament out and still play my 15 in the States. If I did I’d be in breach.

“It’s not a course I don’t know. Twelve of the holes for the Ryder Cup we played when I won the (2003) Wales Open.

“I’ve got to learn six holes. For my first two Ryder Cups I’d not seen either course until the week of the match.”

Meanwhile, England’s Robert Coles has been called into the field for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth after South African Keith Horne could not arrange a visa in time.

Horne, who had been given an invitation, joins compatriots Retief Goosen and Richard Sterne, Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal, New Zealander Michael Campbell, Indian Jeev Milkha Singh and American Shaun Micheel in pulling out.