IAN POULTER got the better of an alligator as he kept his cool to keep challenging for theRBC Heritage title inSouth Carolina.
The Englishman skewed his 10th tee shot into the water and, after his dropping his ball, saw the nosy reptile hover right at the edge of the bank.
AmericanWebb Simpson's caddie was the "insti-gator" in scaring the beast off - by wavinga club around menacingly.
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But Poulter still needed to steady his feet just a yard from the water and play his shot without knowing where the alligator was.
The Ryder Cup star did well enough to drillthe ball almost to the green, finishing with a double bogey six on the 472-yard hole.
Andhis round of 69 leaves him well placed in fifth, four shotsbehind leader Jason Dufner.
Poulter told Sky Sports how wary he had been of the alligator.
He said:"I took a couple of dummy swings and he decided to come in and take a closer look
"I wasn't very comfortable with that. It's a little unnerving.
" didn't want to put my club in the water because I didn't want him to take it.
"One of the other caddies came in and was a bit more aggressive, and he went."
But Poulter insisted the surprise encounter was no "claws" for concern and would not affect his final-round assault on the title.
He said:"No, not at all. My game feels good and I feel confident going into tomorrow."