Ian Poulter withdrew from this week's Singapore Open golf tournament because his driver was stolen and he didn't want to risk using an unfamiliar club.

"I am really gutted," said Britain's Poulter, the world No. 25 and eight-time winner on the European PGA Tour.

Poulter was scheduled to tee off tomorrow in the $5 million tournament at Sentosa Golf Club after tying for 14th at last week's HSBC Champions in Shanghai. The driver was taken from the foyer of the clubhouse at the Sheshan International Golf Club. A replacement wouldn't have arrived for two days, he said.

"It is disappointing because I did not come all this way not to play," Poulter, 32, said in a statement issued by tournament organizers. "But with so many world ranking points at stake if I played badly (by using a different driver) I may have lost ground."

Anirban Lahiri of India will take Poulter's place in the field, officials said.