Golf-Poulter set for European Tour return in Australia

Nov 13 (Reuters) - England's Ian Poulter will make his first appearance in a regular European Tour event for 10 months when he competes in the Dec. 1-4 Australian PGA Championship on Queensland's Gold Coast, the tour announced on Sunday. Poulter was sidelined for nearly five months this year due to a foot injury. He last teed it up on the European Tour at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January. Poulter, once ranked as high as fifth in the world, has plunged to 145th in the latest ranking. The 40-year-old Englishman will be playing in the Australian PGA Championship for the first time and will join Australia's world number six Adam Scott in the field at Royal Pines Resort. "Australia is a fantastic place to play golf and I always receive such strong support from the fans," Poulter said in a European Tour news release. "It's a great chance to come back to a country I have previously performed well in and kick-start my 2017 season." A 12-time winner on the European Tour, Poulter has previously competed in 13 tournaments in Australia. In his most recent visit, he went head-to-head with Scott at the 2013 Australian Masters before finishing runner-up. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Andrew Both)