Poulter victory caps British invasion

Ian Poulter became more than just a fashion plate curiosity with his 4 and 2 victory over fellow Englishman Paul Casey yesterday in the final of the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship in Marana, Ariz.

By winning for the first time in the United States, Poulter let his game speak more loudly than his orchid pink outfit, and in the process he rose to No. 5 in the world golf rankings. The flashy dresser's victory shouldn't be much of a surprise despite the fact that he entered the tournament 0 for 102 on the PGA Tour. One should remember that he posted a 4-1-0 record in the Ryder Cup matches at Valhalla in 2008 as a controversy pick of captain Nick Faldo. Poulter also finished second at the 2008 British Open and last year's Players Championship.

Ironically, yesterday's victory lacked the drama one would expect from such a colorful figure. The Rod Stewart lookalike methodically used his sharp short game to build 4-up leads twice in the 36-hole final before finally shutting the door on Casey with a birdie putt on the 34th hole. On an entertainment scale of 1 to 5, Oldgolfdawg would toss it 3 dog biscuits. Across the pond, it would rate much higher.

No doubt Poulter's countrymen took great delight in watching the All-England final in an event in which nine British players performed better and made more impact than the 20 players from the United States. Watching 64th seed Ross McGowan dispatch top-seeded Steve Stricker in the first round had to make their day. Considering the Match Play Championship is the lone match-play event on the PGA Tour and the last match-play tournament for many of these players before the 2010 Ryder Cup the first week of October, European team captain Colin Montgomerie has to be feeling good about what unfolded in the Arizona desert.

It must be comforting for Monty to know the English have the No. 4 (Lee Westwood), No. 5 (Poulter) and No. 6 (Casey) players in the world. If you add in other potential teammates to Monty's squad, Team Europe has eight of the top 15 players in the world, while the U.S. has five and its No. 1 option, Tiger Woods, might not be an option if he doesn't return to golf this year.

Oldgolfdawg wouldn't be surprised to see England's drought in the majors end in the near future. Not since Faldo's Masters win in 1996 have the English been able to celebrate a majors victory. Westwood, Poulter and Casey are legitimate threats and Luke Donald, Oliver Wilson, Ross Fisher and Justin Rose have the talent to pull it off, too. It's about time for a breakthrough.