Golf is an individual game, but on Thursday at The Players Championship, Ian Poulter looked after more than just himself as darkness fell on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
With two holes to play, and with the horn to call time on the day's play imminent, the Englishman took it upon himself to race to the finish and ensure his group wouldn't have to return the next day to finish round one.
And that sacrifice wasn't lost on one of Poulter's playing partners, Pat Perez. Speaking to Golf Digest, the 46-year-old was delighted to be able to put the finishing touches on a two-under 70.
"I'm very excited, I don't think we're going to play tomorrow," Perez said. "It's nice, it's nice. Now I don't have to do s**t tomorrow. It's perfect. Poulter just said I'm running. He's done it before. God bless him."
If you haven't seen it yet, it's well worth watching below:
Back in 2011, Poulter found himself in an almost-identical situation, although he was 11 years younger and perhaps a little lighter on his feet. But both times, upping the pace hasn't seemed to hinder him.
Poulter's crisply struck iron shot to just inside four feet yielded a birdie on the famous par-3 17th, before a closing par saw him round in 73. Perez also negotiated the final two holes in one-under, with the final man in the group, Jhonattan Vegas, notching two pars en route to a three-under 69.
And asked if there was ever a chance Perez, who is the same age as Poulter, would have done the same, he added: "No, I told him, I would have had a heart attack running around the water."
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