'They're more afraid of you': Wild moment PGA Tour star shoos alligator off fairway
Golfers in Florida are no stranger to alligators wandering the fairways.
But PGA Tour star Billy Horschel took matters into his own hands when he was confronted with one during the Cognizant Classic on Friday morning.
Horschel was walking up a fairway at Palm Beach Gardens when he spotted the animal loitering in the middle of the course.
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A police officer was trying to scare the gator away, but having no success.
Onlookers were shocked when Horschel calmly walked up to the alligator and stuck out a club to shoo it away.
The alligator snapped briefly before turning and running across the fairway and into the water.
Billy Horschel came face to face with an alligator at the Cognizant Classic. Twitter
Shouts of "yeah Billy!" and "oh shit" where heard from the crowd in a clip on social media.
“I’m not afraid of gators,” Horschel said later.
“Listen, as I tell most people, I said, they’re more afraid of you. The majority of the time they’re only going to come after you during mating season where they’re a little aggressive and then if you’re around their nest when they’ve got some eggs. The majority of the time, they’re fine.”
It's not the first time professional golf players have been seen shooing alligators off a course.
Following his round Horschel lamented the easy scoring at the Cognizant Classic and took aim at course management.
PGA Tour youngster and world No.99 Jake Knapp shot a 12-under 59 - only the 15th time in PGA Tour history a player has scored sub-60 for a round.
Billy Horschel. PA Images via Getty Images
"Listen, you've got to tip your hat to him, he shot 12-under par 59," Horschel said.
"Rough's not long enough, it's not penal enough when you miss the fairway.
"It is unfortunate... it is a little disappointing, I say the condition of the course is very scoreable. But at the same time you still have to go out there and hit golf shots, make putts.
"This will be the lowest scoring average in the history of this tournament by, I'm going to say, a shot and a half. It's a little disappointing."
Knapp finished one shot off the tour scoring record of 58, done by Jim Furyk in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship.
Knapp became the 14th player to shoot a sub-60 round; it has been done 15 times, with Furyk the one who has carded such a round twice.
