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The nature of golf means there’s only so much you can do to avoid the various obstacles Mother Nature might throw your way during the course of a round.
More often than not, that’s manifested in weather that can range from rain and wind with the potential to put a damper on the day to a tornado that can really spoil what would’ve otherwise been a good walk.
However, there’s also a good chance you’ll end up encountering one of the wide variety of animals that call golf courses home at some point during your travels.
Plenty of people have documented the run-ins they have with the various fauna that roam the links, including the guy who took some relief after hitting his ball onto an alligator’s back, the unfortunate soul who had a club snapped in half by the massive crab that “stole” it, and the group that found itself sharing the green with a black bear.
You also need to keep your head on a swivel when you’re playing in areas where snakes might be lurking in the rough (or, as was the case with one course in South Africa, casually slithering across the fairway).
That includes Charlotte, North Carolina, which is home to Quail Hollow Club, the historic tract that hosted the Wells Fargo Championship last week.
Rickie Fowler finished the tournament in a tie for 14th place (which was good enough to return to the Top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in two years), but he also completed a side quest over the weekend when he stumbled upon what appeared to be a copperhead snake while searching for a lost ball before using his club to nudge it into some nearby water.
Rickie Fowler the … snake charmer?!
No fear with a wedge from @RickieFowler 🐍 pic.twitter.com/nJLwQhsE5J
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 6, 2023
When you consider Fowler has fully embraced a mustachioed look that makes him look exactly like the kind of guy who would wrangle a snake with a golf club, I’m incredibly glad he got the opportunity to do exactly that.