Golf Wales Open: Ian Poulter, sporting red streaks in his hair to celebrate Arsenal's FA Cup win and to match his Ferrari, drove off with the €348,000 first prize after a three-shot victory in the Wales Open.
Poulter survived a late stumble for the second day in succession to card a final round 70 for an 18-under-par total of 270 at Celtic Manor.
Jonathan Lomas, Australian Jarrod Moseley and South African Darren Fichardt shared second place on 15 under, with Moseley's bogey on the 18th costing him outright second and €76,000.
The fans hoping to see local favourite Phil Price secure a home victory left disappointed after the Ryder Cup hero faded to a closing 74 to finish six shots adrift of playing partner Poulter.
Poulter, battling a bout of tonsillitis all week, was never headed from the moment he equalled the course record with a 65 in the first round, a record quickly overtaken by Moseley's 63 on Saturday.
The winner's cheque lifted the 27-year-old from Milton Keynes from 135th on the Order of Merit to 14th, and maintains his record of winning a tournament every year since 2000, when he was also the tour's rookie of the year.
It also confirmed he had made the right decision in seeking to change his swing under the guidance of coach David Leadbetter, and puts him firmly back among the group of bright English prospects alongside close friend Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Luke Donald and Nick Dougherty.
"I'm back," was Poulter's typically confident statement after ending a run of five missed cuts in six events in style. "When you go through a bad spell people tend to forget about you, but if you stick in and work hard you should be back in no time.
"I'm definitely moving in the right direction and it was definitely the right decision to change my swing. I had a few bad weeks and this just proves the work I have done is paying off."
Poulter began the day two shots clear of Price and extended his cushion to three with a birdie on the second after a superb chip from just off the green.
Cheered on by the home crowd however, Price hit back with birdies on the third and fifth to close the gap to one, but a bogey on the next gave Poulter breathing space again.
Price also bogeyed the eighth and was replaced as Poulter's main challenger by Moseley, who had picked up shots at the third, fifth and sixth to lie two shots back.
Moseley then briefly reduced his deficit to one with a birdie on the 11th, only for Poulter to go one better in the group behind with a 60ft eagle - the only one at the hole all week.
Poulter had been six shots clear after 13 holes of the third round only to drop four shots in the next three holes, and he fell foul of the same stretch again today.
He bogeyed the 15th after finding a greenside bunker and dropped another shot at the next - where he took six yesterday - after again going through the back of the green.
That cut his lead back to one, but when Moseley found trouble off the tee on the last and could only bogey, Poulter's birdie was simply the icing on the cake.
Joint runner-up Lomas collected the second biggest cheque of his career for €155,000 after his closing 68, more than enough to secure his card for next season.
"I had a terrible start to the season so it is nice to have a good week," said the 35-year-old.
Peter Lawrie finished best of the Irish after a closing 70 left him on eight under, which was still worth a handy €25,000.
Graeme McDowell closed with a fine 67 which left him a shot further back. It earned him a respectable €23,000.
But it was costly weekend for Gary Murphy who finished 77, 74.
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