Ian Poulter shot a round of 66 during his opening round at the Abu Dhabi Championship despite arriving late last night. By Lewis Blain.
Jet-Lagged Ian Poulter Shoots 66 Hours After Arriving
Ian Poulter doesn't appear to be jet-lagged.
After a 34-hour door-to-door journey from Hawaii to Abu Dhabi, the 43-year-old managed to card a six-under-par in his opening round at the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Poulter's journey began in Honolulu, where he had to fly to Los Angeles and wait for nine hours before boarding a 16-hour flight to Dubai.
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He was at the hotel and in bed by 11pm on Tuesday night but awoke at 6am to prepare for his midday tee-off time, having not played any practice rounds this week.
His round of 66 puts him four shots back of first round leader Shane Lowry who shot a 10-under-par early this morning.
Speaking to reporters after his round, he said: "I thought it was a case of, let’s go as low as we can as quick as we can and then try and hold on.
"I don’t feel too good now. I feel like I’ve had a few pints, even though I haven’t. I could do with some sleep."
The Houston Open winner finished T33 at the Sony Open in Hawaii only on Sunday.
"Knowing you’ve got a tee-off time at midday is never really good because you know at some stage you’re going to tire out," he added.
"I feel pretty tired now. It’s going to catch up with me at some stage. Hopefully it can be Saturday night and I can have a little bit of rest on Sunday and Monday."
Poulter will compete in the two other events in the Middle East that follow this week's tournament, the Dubai Desert Classic and the Saudi International.
He is tied with fellow Englishman Lee Westwood in sixth along with Martin Kaymer, Alexander Bjork and Soren Kjeldsen after round one.
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