Poulter welcomes winning feeling

Poulter carded a respectable one-under-par 69 in gusty winds at Phoenix Country Club, never surrendering the lead over the final 10 holes, although his triumph was not nearly as comfortable as his three-shot cushion over fast-finishing Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (68) suggests.

"I was very much aware that this was the last stroke play event of the year. It's a lovely feeling to win again, and it's so nice to come and do it in Japan," Poulter said after finishing at 11-under 269 for his ninth worldwide victory, his first outside the European Tour.

Englishman Luke Donald (71) faded down the stretch to tie for third with Japan's Shingo Katayama (68), four strokes off the pace, while defending champion Padraig Harrington (69) was equal fifth, another two shots adrift.

The par-four 12th proved the pivotal hole for Poulter, who seemed destined to fall back into a tie for the lead with Donald, only to sink an unlikely 40-foot putt from the fringe to salvage par.

"The putt, swinging left to right with the last seven or eight feet onto the down slope, I was just trying to two-putt it," he admitted.

"In that position, you're trying to get it close enough to where you don't three-putt. It was a huge boost to see it go in. It took a bit of pressure off."

Buoyed by the reprieve, he curled in a six-foot birdie two holes later to extend his lead, and was never headed after that.