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Former University of Florida turned pro golfer Billy Horschel has faced a lot of competition on the golf course over the years, but none quite like the one he stared down last week. The former Gator was on the course at the PGA National on Thursday afternoon when an unexpected visitor arrived on the green—an actual alligator.
The reptile, presumably a local resident of one of the watering holes on the course, interrupted his game by wandering onto the green. Horschel was on his way to the seventh hole during the golf tournament when he spotted the alligator making its way across the green. While a security officer on site was attempting to shoo the creature away, he wasn’t having any luck. That’s when Horschel jumped into action.
In a video shared on social media by Paul Hodowanic, a staff writer for PGATour.com, Horschel seemed entirely unfazed by the alligator’s arrival. Instead of high-tailing it in the opposite direction of the critter, like most people would in the face of a gator heading towards them, he quickly grabbed a golf club and poked it in the shoulder. While the gator hesitated for a moment, perhaps confused by being nudged by a wedge, he then allowed Horschel to gently guide it back into the water.
As Hodowanic wrote in his social media post, “Takes a Gator to tame a gator here at PGA National.”
Read the original article on Southern Living
