Rich Beem gifts Ryder Cup slot to Ian Poulter
Rich Beem, who lived in El Paso when he won the PGA championship in 2002, is getting a lot of attention this week for giving up his slot in the Hong Kong Open to allow British golfer Ian Poulter to stay eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup.
Golf Digest reports: “Poulter needs to play in 13 European Tour events this year to be eligible for the biennial matches that have been the highlight of his golf career. Poulter planned on playing in the HSBC Champions in Shanghai next month, but since he just fell out of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking on Monday, he’s no longer qualified.”
Enter Beem, who gave up his slot this week in Hong Kong, so Poulter could remain eligible. He’s presumably well aware that Poulter would play for the European team against Team USA, and that Poulter’s Ryder Cup record is in fact, pretty amazing. He has an 8-3 overall record in three Cups, and is undefeated in singles play, including a run of five straight birdies to key the “Medinah Miracle” comeback in 2012.
Beem’s father Larry, the former golf coach at New Mexico State University, died last month. Rich Beem has played part time the past three seasons, after amassing career PGA Tour earnings just short of $10 million.
