The beginning of the end for Poulter may have come on the 504-yard, par-4 12th hole. Poulter was even par through his first 11 holes before his drive found the right rough at No. 12. Standing over his ball with a wedge in hand, he took a practice swing and moved about a pound of turf. The wheels in Poulter's head turned, but finally he addressed the ball, made a lashing swing and watched his shot squirt five feet forward and 10 feet left, landing in the first cut of rough.
That was it. Enough. Poulter took two steps, raised his club like an axe and brought it down head-first into the moist rough. He took a few steps toward his bag, and with the shaft still quivering in the ground, he spun around and presented his right middle finger to the divot he'd created.
After a moment, Poulter hit his third shot with a hybrid. The shot landed short and right of the green. From there, he pitched the ball across the green, three putted, tipped his visor to the crowd and walked away with a triple bogey.
