Ian Poulter beat Luke Donald 2&1 to win the World Match Play Championship in Spain on Sunday.
Had Donald won, he could have replaced Lee Westwood as world number one, but was unable to find form at the crucial times.
Poulter took the lead at the 14th and held his nerve to become the first player to win both world match play titles on either side of the Atlantic.
It was the 14th trophy of Poulter’s career but the first since the Hong Kong Open in November of last year. He moves up seven places in the world rankings as a result, from 22nd to 15th.
“I thought it would be pretty special to win this,” said Poulter.
“I finally started holing some putts. I’ve been frustrated for a few months and you have to hole putts to win.
“It’s a nice boost. Questions have been asked of me over the last five months.”
Poulter knocked out Westwood on his way to the final, and in a thrilling semi-final, he trailed Nicolas Colsaerts by two with four to play but fought back to take the match to sudden death. He then secured the win when the Belgian missed a par putt on the 19th hole.
