Darren Clarke will have a US golfer to thank if Ian Poulter leads Europe to Ryder Cup glory

Rich Beem is a sound man.

European captain Darren Clarke is probably breathing a sigh of relief this evening after discovering how close he came to losing one of his key players ahead of next year's Ryder Cup. Team Europe talisman Ian Poulter came very, very close to not being eligible for the event in Hazeltine after dropping out of the world's top 50 following Andy Sullivan's victory at the Portugal Masters on Sunday. Poulter has lost his invite to the WGC Champions event in Shanghai as a result, which was scheduled to be the Englishman's 13th European Tour event of the season, the minimum requirement to retain membership of the Tour for 2016 and eligibility for the Ryder Cup team. Instead, the Telegraph reports Poulter has been forced to make a 19-hour dash from his Florida base to Hong Kong for this week's tournament, which he has only been allowed to compete in thanks to former US PGA champion Rich Beem, who has withdrawn to allow Poulter into the field. Poulter's form has been spotty this year but he always steps things up at Ryder Cup time and will be a strong contender to be one of captain Clarke's wild card picks if he doesn't qualify automatically. We just hope Davis Love III and the rest of the US team stay on speaking terms after Poulter grabs yet another point for Europe next September. https://twitter.com/IanJamesPoulter/status/656429809002795008 https://twitter.com/IanJamesPoulter/status/656433280145846272