ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt only needed to say two words to set the scene for Jason Scrivener’s second shot on the par-4 sixth at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
“Uh oh.”
Scrivener was in the sand, not ideal for any golfer. But what’s worse? How about maintaining focus while an alligator is walking right behind you.
Where’s Happy Gilmore when you need him?
But there was Scrivener, not Adam Sandler, totally unfazed by the whole encounter. He would go on to make a par.
Sure, that’s not the biggest gator I’ve ever seen. But would you be able to keep your concentration in that moment? Please, I don’t think so. I know I wouldn’t.
The Ocean course at Kiawah Island is the site of this year’s PGA Championship. The links sit right on the ocean in South Carolina’s low country. And golfers are not the only ones on these fairways.
“You know, it’s their house,” Van Pelt said after Scrivener successfully landed his second shot on the green. “We’re intruding on them, not the other way around.”
It is their space, and it looks like they’re getting used to the extra people coming in for the tournament. Yesterday, a curious gator wandered into an enclosed area for CBS Sports personnel. From the photos, it looks like no one was in the space at the time of the visit.
Golfers have had to play alongside these reptiles before. A few weeks ago, Cameron Champ had to hit a shot steps away from a big one.
The Ocean Course is a challenge filled with natural and wild obstacles. So don’t be surprised when you see more gators wandering around their home in the coming days, or frustrated golfers acting out by Sunday afternoon.