Poulter still on course for first PGA Tour win
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Englishmen Ian Poulter and Paul Casey will this afternoon resume battle at the top of the leaderboard in the rain-affected Honda Classic at Florida’s soggy PGA National course.
Poults and Casey are both on -7 having played nine and seven 4th round holes respectively though the former will be kicking himself having let slip a three-shot advantage following a shocking shank at the par-3 5th. “That just came out of left field,” Poulter reflected.
It is fellow countryman Casey though who has momentum: he went out in 31 and was -4 but in the left rough on the 10th hole when the final round was halted at sunset.
The English pair will be wary though of American Patrick Reed when play re-starts. Reed is in the final group with Poulter and just one shot behind while Phil Mickelson is dangerously lurking at -4 but with still ten holes to play.
Poults though is still confident he can bag his first US PGA Tour victory, saying: “I’m pretty pleased with the golf I’ve played throughout the whole of today. I haven’t really made many mistakes at all. I’ve put it in position an awful lot, which is encouraging right now and if I do that tomorrow, then I’m going to be in a good position.”
Casey, runner-up last week in California, made four birdies on the front nine, all from no more than 12ft.
The Monday finish was caused by nearly 5 inches of rain and 50 mph gusts that washed out the third round on Saturday. The final round was to resume at 1pm (UK time).
“This sort of situation is going to be difficult for everybody, and it just breaks up momentum,” said Casey, who added: “You just hope you wake up tomorrow and feel like you’ve got the same kind of golf swing and putts are going in the hole. Hope the golfing gods are nice to us tomorrow.”
