Zurich Classic Temporarily Delayed After Alligator Invades Tee Box In The Middle Of A Round

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The nature of golf means it’s not that rare to encounter wild animals on the golf course, and some competitors at the Zurich Classic were subjected to a brief delay during their opening round on Thursday courtesy of an alligator that decided to make its way across the tee box on the 17th hole.

There are unsubstantiated rumors the folks at Augusta National have somehow figured out a way to exile birds, squirrels, and other forms of wildlife from invading its pristine grounds during The Masters, but it’s hard to imagine that’s actually the case given the logistics involved.

While I’m sure many golf courses that are located in areas that alligators call home would prefer to ban them from stepping foot on their grounds, there’s only so much they can do to address the scaly creatures with an inability to process the concept of trespassing. As a result, they simply have to learn to live with them.

That’s the approach that’s been harnessed at TPC Louisiana, which has come to terms with the reality that comes with constructing a golf course on a swamp just outside of New Orleans.

Officials estimate the course is home to around 20 gators (including a three-legged, 11-foot beast dubbed “Tripod”). They don’t typically pose a threat, but they do have a blatant disregard for the rules spectators are expected to abide by during the Zurich Classic, which officially commenced when the 80 two-man teams competing this week kicked off their opening rounds on Tuesday.

That included the duos of Paul Barjon and Samuel Stevens and Bronson Burgoon and Jhonattan Vegas, who were forced to delay their shots off that tee on the 17th hole courtesy of the alligator that casually crashed the party toward the end of their rounds.

The development didn’t seem to hinder either team, as they both managed to walk away with a par on the hole.