HONG KONG – Dec. 3, 2004 – Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter aims to provide the thrills through his golf rather than his fancy pants as he targets the Omega Hong Kong Open, which teed-off on Thursday.

The Englishman, fresh from another impressive season on the European Tour, said he has not brought any flashy clothes for this week's US$800,000 Championship, jointly sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours. Poulter hopes to start his 2005 campaign just as he closed the 2004 season in Europe where he won the season-ending Volvo Masters Andalucia after a play-off win over Ryder Cup teammate Sergio Garcia of Spain.

The 46th Omega Hong Kong is the penultimate event on the 2004 Asian Tour season and is the second leg on the 2005 European Tour International Schedule. "I feel good about the week. I've had a couple of weeks off, been working very hard in the gym back home. I played for a couple of days in the Nelson Mandela Invitational (in South Africa) last week and I'm in good shape this week," said Poulter on Thursday.

When asked if he would surprise Hong Kong golf fans with his renowned liking for outrageous clothing, Poulter said: "No, I was obviously a little bit of a late entry. I haven't had a lot of time to get the tailor to make anything special up. So, no there won't be any lurid trousers here this week, I'm afraid … unless I nip out shopping tonight and get some material!," added the Englishman, who wore Union Jack-designed trousers at this year's British Open and Stars and Stripes at the US PGA Championship.

While he capped his 2004 season with a winning debut at the Ryder Cup and finished ninth on the European Order of Merit to go with his lone victory, Poulter said he'd expected better from himself. "I had myself down for winning twice or three times this year. I set my goals pretty high as a lot of the guys will do. It was nice to finish the year off with a win and keep my winning streak going as I've won every year (since 2000). As long as I keep doing that, I'm going to keep moving forward. I'll work ahead for next year and see if we can do that," said Poulter, who is ranked 35th in the world.

With fancy clothes or not, Poulter will still come up against a star-studded line-up at The Hong Kong Golf Club this week. World number six Padraig Harrington is back to defend his crown while other top guns include the in-form Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, David Howell of England, Spaniards Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal and last week's winner Stephen Dodd of Wales.

At 47, Faldo is still a top draw, thanks to his six Major wins and his close affinity to Hong Kong. The English star has won in Hong Kong previously at the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1990 but he is expecting a lot from himself and hopes to better last year's tied 15th outing in the Omega Hong Kong Open. "I'm looking forward to this week," said Faldo. "In my new role in ABC (as television commentator), I've been watching these guys swing. So I've managed to fine tune my game and go for the minimal approach. I'm feeling good about my game and I've got a few things to try."

The golf legend is looking of one last shot at Major glory and has his eyes on the British Open at St Andrews next year. "I'm looking forward to St Andrews. I really feel it is a great shot for me to play on the links. It's still doable. I still got great expectations for next year," said Faldo. Thongchai Jaidee heads the Asian Tour's challenge and Olazabal, winner here two years ago, has tipped the Thai star to sparkle. "Thongchai is a very consistent player. He is not big but he can hit the ball far enough and I don't see any weaknesses in his game. He is pretty solid," said the Spaniard, who conceded that his own game wasn't up to mark.

While Thongchai is looking to stretch his lead over Simon Yates of Scotland in the Order of Merit race, the battle is also on for players fighting for survival. China's Liang Wen-chong and Gerald Rosales of the Philippines, touted as future stars of the game, need to finish inside the top-60 of the money ranking after this week's event to retain their full playing rights on the Asian Tour next season.

Liang, ranked 62nd, boosted his hopes with a tied 15th finish last week and reckons surviving the cut in Hong Kong would be sufficient. "I've kept my card in Japan but I hope to do it on the Asian Tour as well. I played nicely last week back home. I hit my drives and irons really nicely and my game is in place. I have to make the cut here to ensure I finish inside the top-60. I like this golf course a lot and I'm looking forward to a good week."

Like Liang, Rosales is one rung lower on the ranking but he is treating the Omega Hong Kong Open just as another event on Tour to ease the pressure. "It's just another week for me," said Rosales.

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