Have Alligators Attacked Golfers at the Zurich Classic?

Among the many wonders of the TPC in Louisiana, an alligator-centered delay was the least expected. The par-3 17th hole of the Zurich Classic was recently fraught by a gator roadshow on Thursday that delayed play by a total of seven minutes! However, these famous American alligators found in Louisiana (with a population of 2 million wild alligators and almost 1 million farmed alligators) did not cause any physical harm to those present on the course: golfers, caddies, spectators, and event authorities.

The only way they attacked the golfers was by making an unprecedented slow play in the opening round. This mostly affected the group of Paul Barjon, Sam Stevens, Jhonattan Vegas, and Bronson Burgoon. Addressing their gator problem, Barjon also said, “The gator was a bit unusual. It wasn’t really getting close to anyone but moved very slowly and we had to probably wait five minutes or a bit more. It was pretty cool.”

This is not the first time a gator problem has been witnessed at the Zurich Classic. Back in the 2022 edition of the Zurich Classic, pro-golfer, Callum Tarren, was witnessed panicking after he spotted a gator walking towards his group in New Orleans. But that time also, no harm to anyone present on the greens was done.

Interestingly, the unusual appearance list on these Louisiana greens this year was not limited to one unexpected alligator. It had a couple more. An alligator with a missing front left leg and one smaller three-legged gator were also spotted on the greens casually making their way. The tripod is another famous three-legged alligator at the event who has been sighted previously and has a right limb missing on the front and has made an appearance at Zurich Classic in the past.

Talking about this unusual fellow, a PGA Tour live broadcaster said, “That particular critter has four legs. For a long time, a legendary alligator which was named Tripod was here; he has three legs, as you might imagine. There is another three-legged alligator that has been spotted around the course recently, but he is missing his front left leg. Tripod was missing his front right leg.”

Animals on the golf course are not an unusual sight. Snakes, giraffes, otters, monitor lizards, and others are often seen on the greens. However, they have mostly remained peaceful to those present on the course. At least the same can be said for gators at the Zurich Classic.

Even though the gator problem did not lead to an official postponement or cancellation (or bodily injury of any degree) at the Zurich Classic this year, have there been any cases of such attacks in the past?

Sneak peek at the scariest gator attacks on the greens

In the small town of Ave Maria in southern Florida, a shocking case of a gator chasing a golf cart came to light. The reptile attacked two unsuspecting golfers near a pond. Thankfully, the golf cart’s driver and passenger narrowly missed the dangerous attack, and the alligator went back to the pond.

Yet another major attack was witnessed by a Florida fisherman who lost his hand to the animal’s anger. While reeling a fish in a pond in Leesburg on a golf course, the reptile chewed off the civilian’s hand, leading to a blood bath and rushing emergency calls by people present on the course.

Truly, then, it is safe to say that golfers at the Zurich Classic have an eternal light protecting them against such attacks time and again.