During the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi, golfer Vince Whaley found himself in an unexpected situation on the par 5 eleventh hole. As he stepped into some murky water, he turned around and spotted a six-foot crocodile watching him. Remarkably, he managed to complete his shot and escape without incident.
Whaley mentioned that he estimated the crocodile was about 20 feet away when he made his shot. “Well, thankfully my back was to him, so I could concentrate on the shot for a moment,” he noted, adding that the crocodile remained still throughout the encounter. He jokingly commented on his plan just in case the reptile got any closer, saying, “The plan was to take hell out of the water.”
In that round, Whaley finished at 5 under par and ultimately ended 19 under par for the tournament, securing third place alongside Rasmus Højgaard and Danny Walker. The tournament was won by Stephen Fisk, who finished two strokes ahead of Garrick Higggo.
At 30 years old, Whaley has played 135 events on the PGA Tour. While he didn’t win this time, he has had some notable successes, making 84 cuts and recording five top-five finishes as well as 11 in the top ten during his career.
This season, he’s managed three top-ten finishes, showing his skills and determination on the course.
