JACKSON, Miss. – Vince Whaley found himself in a unique situation when he had to make a shot from the water while a 6-foot alligator observed attentively. Despite the intimidating presence, he managed to turn his back on the reptile and successfully saved par.
Whaley estimated that the alligator was about 20 feet away in the water as he attempted his shot from the bank on the par-5 11th hole during the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday.
He was one shot out of the lead at the time, and yes, he was fully aware of the gator eyeing him, the full head above water.
“Well, thankfully my back was to him so I could focus on the shot for a second,” Whaley remarked, expressing gratitude for the “a lot of trust” he placed in his caddie to keep an eye on the situation.
The gator never moved. Whaley splashed out short of the putting surface and got up-and-down for par. He wound up with a 67 and tied for third.
And the plan if the gator had moved?
“The plan was to get the hell out of the water,” he said.
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