Ian Poulter will replace Rich Beem in the UBS Hong Kong Open as a tournament invitation after former US PGA Champion Beem unselfishly agreed to give up his spot in the event in order for Poulter to play.
After falling out of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking on Monday (October 19), from 46thto 51st, Poulter became ineligible for the upcoming World Golf Championship event in Shanghai, meaning the Englishman would not have been able to play the minimum number of 13 European Tour events on the 2015 Race to Dubai to retain his Membership for next season.
Poulter approached The European Tour to see if there was any way he could be included in this week’s field. With entries of the tournament officially closed, the only option was through a tournament invitation. When approached and apprised of the situation by Tour Officials, Beem, who had already travelled from Texas to Hong Kong, generously agreed to step aside in order to let Poulter use that invitation and therefore fulfill his Membership obligations.
Beem, who recently began a successful career as an analyst for SKY Sports, will now join the European Tour Productions commentary team for the UBS Hong Kong Open.
