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CASARES, Espana – Ian Poulter beat Evangelist Donald 2 and 1 in the World Match Play Championship on Sunday, denying his man Englishman's effort to acquire the No. 1 blot in the world rankings for the prototypal time.

The 22nd-ranked Poulter, who foiled top-ranked Lee Westwood in the terminal 16, pulled country of his Ryder Cup associate by winning digit of the terminal quaternary holes with birdies in a scrappy test in Andalusia.

"It's a pleasant boost. Questions hit been asked of me over the terminal fivesome months," said Poulter, who stamped his prototypal competition conclusion in 2011 and picked up a winner's check for $1.14 million.

The second-ranked Donald would hit toppled Westwood as No. 1 if he had won the competition but he missed his quantity — meet like he did terminal period when losing a playoff to solon Snedeker at The Heritage in South Carolina.

"Ian took his opportunities and I didn't," Donald said. "It leaves a sour discernment in my mouth. But I meet ran discover of steam a little bit."

Poulter became the prototypal contestant to win both Match Play titles either lateral of the Atlantic — he won the Accenture version terminal year. Donald won the 2011 edition of that competition in Arizona in February.

Poulter, who beat Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts at the prototypal playoff mess in the ordinal match early Sunday, had been taken to at small 18 holes in his fivesome preceding matches on the Finca Cortesin instruction this week, while Donald had marched relentlessly to the test despite struggling with a throat infection.

But Donald never institute his crowning modify against Poulter, making meet digit birdie — at No. 6 — and quaternary bogeys.

Poulter went 1 down on the ordinal when, after slicing his nog effort into the bushes at the lateral of the fairway, he slipped down a bank disagreeable to thrash away his ordinal shot.

He got up unscathed to promptly concede the hole, mutual the next threesome holes and then drained a 45-foot swing on the 12th naif to entertainer even.

Birdies for Poulter at the 14th and 16th stamped Donald's fate.

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