IT'S somewhat ironic that the man who so nearly pulled out of this year's Wales Open before it had even begun went on to win the £250,000 prize money.

Ian Poulter had been suffering with tonsillitis all week, in fact, on Wednesday, it was so bad that he gave himself 24 hours to decide whether or not to compete.

But a change of heart on Thursday morning saw the Englishman decide to stick with it, and four days later he's certainly glad he did so.

He didn't set the world alight on day four, but with a two-shot cushion he didn't really have to.

And when it looked as if Australia's Jarrod Moseley might well catch him he pulled an eagle out of the bag and raced into a three-shot lead.

He ended the day on 18 under par three shots in front of a trio of players who all shared second place.

"I'm thinking of keeping the tonsils now," joked Poulter.

"It seems that every time I come down with tonsillitis I win something, so perhaps they're a lucky charm."

Poulter, a self-confessed Arsenal fan, sported red streaks in his hair to celebrate the Gunners' victory in the FA Cup last month.

But unlike the Gunners, who lost an eight-point lead to hand Manchester United the Premiership title, the man from Milton Keynes never looked like throwing away his two- shot lead, staying calm throughout day four.

"The nerves never got to me," he admitted.

"It was just nice to finish the day off after having the lead. Obviously I could see that Jarrod (Moseley) was closing in, and the eagle on hole 11 was a huge boost.

"After that it was just a matter of going through the motions."

Poulter was cheered on by close friend Justin Rose, and after his impressive victory the Englishman declared: "I'm back."

"It was nice of Justin to come and cheer me on," said Poulter.

"He's a good friend of mine and I'd obviously do the same for him. I gave him a ring on Saturday night to invite him down and it was a boost to see him here.

"I've been through a rough few months. I took six weeks off to change my swing and I think this performance justifies my decision to do so.

"The hard work is paying off and I'm back where I belong,"

In fact, Poulter is set to leapfrog nearly 130 places in the Volvo Order of Merit into the top 15.

And despite a bout of tonsillitis and a course of antibiotics, Poulter also vowed to celebrate his victory with a glass or beer... or two!