Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP) – Gator has taken on the Gator. Billy Horschel won.
Let’s explain: Horschel played college golf for the Florida Gators, so he knows a lot about the wildlife seen on the Sunshine State course, including alligators. And when Gators advanced to the PGA National course on Thursday, Horschel knew what to do.
The Florida native grabbed a 60-degree wedge and thrust the gator into the water before retreating. And he made it look simple.
“I’m not afraid of gators,” Horschel said. “Listen, like I told most people, they said they’re more afraid of you. Most of the time, they’ll come after you during a slightly aggressive mating season, and if you’re around their nest when they have eggs. Most of the time, they’re fine.”
Horschel had just played the sixth hole in PGA National, the 15th hole in Round 1 of Cognizant Classic. As he was walking to the next tee he saw the Gators roaming around, and the police were trying to get rid of it without success.
“He wasn’t going anywhere,” Horschel said. “So I just went there and saved the cops.”
Horschel said he wondered if the officers were using a taser to distract the gator and distract him. The golf clubs worked well.
He walked to the right side of the gator and used the blade of the wedge to basically thrust his shoulders out and changed course. Gator took the hint and went back to the left. Horschel followed the gator across the grass and saw it heading directly towards the water. The whole replacement took about 6 seconds.
So, the day of the horsekell in wildlife terms: four birdies, one eagle, one gator. He shot a 5-under 66 and finished seven shots behind early leader Jake Knapp after a round of 59.
“I grew up grabbing my dad by the tail while he was on the side of the bank and then putting them back into the water and grabbing them by the tail,” Horschel said. “I’ve never touched the tail with my hand, but I’ve done it at a club. It’s not that big of a deal.”
AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
