HONG KONG — Ian Poulter is scrambling to get to Hong Kong to save his European Tour membership, and perhaps his chances of playing the Ryder Cup next year.
And he owes it all to former PGA champion Rich Beem.
Andy Sullivan and Emiliano Grillo winning tournaments last week bumped Poulter out of the top 50 in the world and made him ineligible for the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in two weeks. Poulter was counting on that event to reach the minimum 13 tournaments required to keep his European Tour membership.
Only tour members can play for Europe in the Ryder Cup.