He may not be the most talented guy out there, he hits it short, misses lots of greens, but as we have seen in his Ryder Cup performances Ian Poulter is a possessed junkyard dog when he sees a title within his reach. His 65-65 over the weekend at the HSBC Champions in China slung him around the pack on his way to grabbing this trophy by the scruff of it’s neck.

There was red everywhere at the Olazabal Course at Mission Hills-birdies were coming in bunches from the entire field on Sunday. Jason Dufner shot 8-under, Scott Piercy 7-under, Nick Watney 10-under, Adam Scott and Ernie Els 5-under. But it was Ian who put his short game and decisive putting to work making 8 birdies through the first sixteen to create a gulf that others could not seem to traverse.

Eerie and unexplainable things started happening to all the pursuers, especially starting at the pivotal par 5 15th hole.

Lee Westwood, who led at the beginning of the day, hit an amazing approach to the par five out of a stepped lie in and out of the fairway bunker. It travelled over water, reeds, and a bevy of bunkers leaving a routine green side up and down for birdie. He proceeded to chunk his pitch short of the green, skinny a pitch over the green, stub a chip onto the green on his way to an untimely bogie. Lee goes into Roberto Duran mode around the greens.

Martin Kaymer, the defending champ seemed to be in deja vu mode as he was storming from behind as he had in last year’s final round. Five birdies on the first seven holes of the back nine got him within shouting distance at 18-under when he hit it a leaky fade into the green side bunker on the par 3 17th. He then skulled his bunker shot across the green into the high grass on the other side, Misty May-Trainored it back into the same bunker on the next pitch, finally found the putting surface, but barely. A two-putt triple bogey six ended his challenge.

Mickey, a two-time winner of this event, had put together six birdies in the first fifteen holes and looked like he was going to grab Ian by the tail and reel him in. Hunting the flag with a routine knock down approach into sixteen he misjudged the bounce on the front of the green leaving himself a monster two-putt for par from the back edge to stay alive. Then on the par 3 17th he hit a left handed draw that didn’t and missed the green entirely into the gnarly grass below the green side bunker. His first pitch was a near fan job on a change-up that did not get out of the batter’s box to reach the putting surface. Even he could not avoid the evil decree and make the par pitch, so his bogey left him two afar with one to play.

Poulter’s bogey on seventeen and missing the approach to eighteen into the green side bunker gave a ray of hope to those behind. But as he had done all day he deftly pitched it to about twelve feet and buried the par save to guarantee the win and take home the $1.2 winners check.

In vintage Poulter style he said, “I’ve already spent the check last week. Yes, it was a vehicle and yes, it was very expensive”.

Guess he had a premonition.

November, 2012

The UPS Green Monster is at it again.  Louis Oosthuizen shoots 63 in round two of the HSBC Champions World Golf event in Shenzhen, China yesterday to distance himself from the field with a five-stroke lead over Adam Scott and Ernie Els.  His 16-under total is the best two round scoring in WGC tournament history.

I remind you that this is a guy who won the British Open at the home of golf in 2010 by 7 shots.  He would have won the Masters this year if he had not run into the Bubba Express on Sunday.  Hell, the name on his website is “Louis57Oosthuizen.com” to commemorate a 57 he shot at the Mossel Bay Club in South Africa back in 2002.  Now that is a gaudy lapel pin for your internet site if you ask me.  This is a man with confidence and some swagger.

Over the first two days Louis has owned the five pars on the Olazabal Course at Mission Hills.   He is 11-under on the five-pars with nine birdies and an eagle.  When he starts hitting his irons close to the hole this guy can go low and stay there.

Ernie Els played out of his mind yesterday as well matching Shrek’s 63.  Ernie’s 29 on the front side matches his personal low 9-hole score in a PGA Tour event.

Adam Scott who was tied for the lead after day one, made four birdies on the outward nine to keep pace with the leader.  But to Stevie Williams’s chagrin Adam made 3 bogies on the inward half and had to settle for 68 and a second place tie at 11-under.

Phil might have been the story of the day but on the 18^th hole Phil was, how shall I say it, Phil as he made an awkward double bogey in his own amusing way.  After leaving his approach in the heavy rough in front of the green literally between a rock and a hard place (he had one foot on a rock and the other on the hill) he totally missed the ball on his first attempt.  This is a guy with his name embroidered on the side of his bag whiffing like a hacker in a Barclays commercial.  Phil can be so refreshing some times!

With guys shooting in the mid-60’s no lead is safe.  But Louis has his foot planted to the floor at the moment and is unlikely to let up unless someone Tanya Harding’s his ankle over the next two days.  If you can set your alarm for midnight you will likely see more fireworks over this weekend.

November, 2012