Poulter, Scott set for Masters shoot-out

Updated November 17, 2012 18:30:47

Australian Masters defending champion Ian Poulter will take a one-shot lead over Australia's Adam Scott into what looms as a tantalising Sunday shoot-out at Melbourne's Kingston Heath.

Poulter came from five shots off the lead at the start of Saturday's third round, shooting an 8-under-par 64, the round of the tournament so far, to seize the outright lead on 13-under.

Scott, who started the day three shots behind fellow Queenslander Matthew Guyatt - the leader for the first two days - shot 67 to climb to 12-under-par.

Guyatt, who started the day at 10-under, could manage only a 75 to be six shots from the lead, alone in third spot on 7-under.

His playing partner, New Zealand's Michael Hendry, who was outright second on Friday night, faltered badly with a 79 to fall 12 shots from the lead.

Scott, Australia's top-ranked player, is seeking his first Masters title and first win for the year, while Englishman Poulter is coming off a victory at his last start, when he charged home to win the Champions tournament in China.

While Scott can expect to have the crowd on his side on Sunday, that is unlikely to bother Poulter.

The Englishman amply demonstrated both his ability to perform on enemy territory and his love of head-to-head battles in spearheading Europe's remarkable Ryder Cup win in Chicago in September.

He also produced some stunning golf on Saturday.

Poulter notched eight birdies in his first 15 holes, helped by outstanding work with the putter, most notably sinking a monster birdie putt from off the front of the green on the seventh.

Scott's ball-striking was the key to his climb.

By the time the pair completed the eighth hole, they had joined Guyatt in the lead and overtook him soon after, with Poulter and Scott then exchanging the lead several times on the back nine.

They both reached 13-under after they birdied the par-three 15th, at which stage Poulter was threatening to match the course record of 63.

But both he and Scott dropped a shot on the par-four 16th and Scott let another go on the 17th to leave Poulter alone at the top.

Poulter then fired in a near-perfect second shot to set up a tap-in birdie at the last with Scott holing a good-sized putt to stay within a shot.

AAP

Tags: sport, golf, melbourne-3000

First posted November 17, 2012 18:24:36

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Poulter in Masters lead

Updated December 18, 2011 16:37:32

England's Ian Poulter has eased ahead of rival Geoff Ogilvy as the pair battle for the Australian Masters title.

Poulter began the day two shots behind Ogilvy but started with a bang when he made an eagle two at the first at Victoria Golf Club to draw level.

The pair were locked at 13-under the card and well clear of the field before the English star birdied the par-three seventh to take the outright lead.

He then birdied the par-five ninth to move to 15-under, two shots clear of local hero Ogilvy who had pars at each of his first nine holes.

Another Victorian, Marcus Fraser, has produced the most prominent challenge, collecting five birdies to swoop to 10-under and outright third spot.

World number one Luke Donald, out of the spotlight all week after a draining year which saw him win the money lists of both the US PGA and European PGA tours, came alive early.

The Englishman bagged three shots through the front nine to take outright fifth before dropping shots at the 13th and 14th to sink back to 6-under.

AAP/ABC

Tags: sport, golf, melbourne-3000, vic, australia, england, united-kingdom

First posted December 18, 2011 15:15:41

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Poulter belts a tee shot

Published:Friday, June 17, 2011 8:18 AEST

Ian Poulter watches his tee shot on the eighth hole during the first round of the 111th US Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, on June 16, 2011.

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Poulter denies Donald top ranking at WMP

Posted May 23, 2011 06:01:00

Ian Poulter beat Luke Donald in the World Match Play Championship final on Sunday to deny his fellow Briton the world number one ranking.

In a scrappy encounter, Poulter sealed a 2 and 1 victory to become the first player to win both world match play titles on either side of the Atlantic.

Poulter, who also beat world number one Lee Westwood en route to the final, said: "To beat Lee and Luke was huge. I holed the putts at the right time in both matches."

The Englishman added this trophy to his 2010 triumph in the Accenture World Golf Championship with three decisive holes on the back nine.

Both players had nudged a hole in front at various stages but a stunning 45-foot birdie putt by Poulter on the 12th brought him back level.

Donald had gone ahead after Poulter left his ball in bushes on the long eighth and had to concede the hole, slipping awkwardly while trying to extricate himself from the undergrowth.

Poulter then went one-up with an approach to three feet on the 14th.

Poulter's killer shot, though, came at the 16th when he fired in to just 18 inches to go two-up before closing the match out with a par on 17.

He said his victory was partly inspired by his lucky ball-marker and a determination to win on his son Luke's seventh birthday.

Poulter lost his marker when he slipped on the eighth and was relieved to get it back thanks to an eagle-eyed official.

"I panicked when the marker wasn't in my pocket on the ninth," he told reporters, "but luckily enough a referee found it. It has my kids names on it so it's very precious and it really does bring me luck.

"I spoke to my little boy Luke today and he said 'I want the trophy for my birthday', so I tried to win it for him."

Putting woes

Donald was also trying for the Accenture-World Match Play double, his in the same year after he won the former at Tucson in late February, as well as leapfrogging Westwood to be world number one for the first time.

The world number two blamed putting frailties in the final for his loss.

"Usually I can do it in my sleep but I struggled on the greens," he said.

"I wasn't too concerned with the (world) rankings, those kind of take care of themselves, but I'll keep knocking on the door."

Donald had ended world number three Martin Kaymer's hopes of overtaking Westwood by beating the German 5 and 3 in the morning semi-finals.

Kaymer conceded that he was given little chance by Donald to avenge a final defeat at Tucson.

"It felt that Luke was impossible to beat, he never opened the door," he said.

Poulter defeated Belgian outsider Nicolas Colsaerts in the other semi-final.

- Reuters

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Poulter beats Donald

Published:Monday, May 23, 2011 7:25 AESTExpires:Sunday, August 21, 2011 7:25 AEST

Luke Donald has lost the final of golf's World Match Play Championship in Spain to Ian Poulter.

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Tags: golf, spain

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Poulter celebrates World Match Play win

Published:Monday, May 23, 2011 6:32 AEST

Ian Poulter of England celebrates winning the World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin on May 22, 2011 in Casares, Spain.

Tags: sport, golf, spain

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