Golf: Ryder Cup star and fanatical Arsenal fan Ian Poulter received news today that he will not be fined for wearing his favourite team's soccer shirt during the Abu Dhabi Championship two weeks ago.

Poulter has become renowned for his outspoken dress sense on the fairways in recent years. At the 2004 Open Championship at Royal Troon he managed to gain exposure on the front and back of newspapers for wearing those, by now infamous, Union Jack trousers.
 
And last year, at the home of golf in St Andrews, the 30-year-old donned a pair of strides bearing an image of the famous Claret Jug after the design was decided by entries from the public in a competition.
 
This recent run-in regarding Poulter's flamboyant dress sense with the Arsenal attire was discussed at a meeting of the tour's players' committee ahead of this week's Dubai Desert Classic, which gets under way at the Emirates Golf Club tomorrow.
 
Officials at the Abu Dhabi event had been unhappy that the sponsors logo (02) on the football jersey was too big. The other matter to consider is very few clubs across the country tolerate football shirts on the course for regular amateur golfers, let alone professionals . However, all things considered, it was agreed the Poulter wouldn't be reprimanded on this occasion.
 
Poulter, who claims he only did it for a bit of fun and had no intention of offending anyone, tees it up with Welshman Stephen Dodd and former champion Mark O'Meara in tomorrow's opening round in the desert.
 
There are eight Irishmen in all set to tee it up in Dubai. Darren Clarke, in his second outing of the year, is paired alongside none other than Tiger Woods and last week's Qatar Master winner Henrik Stenson.
 
Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Gary Murphy, Michael Hoey, David Higgins, Stephen Browne are all in the field, as is teenage amateur sensation Rory McIlroy. The 16-year-old from Holywood, Co Down is the current Irish amateur champion and received a special invite from organisers.
 
Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington are both on family holidays in Barbados this week.