PGA Tour golfer Vince Whaley nails shot in front of alligator

Private eyes were watching PGA Tour golfer Vince Whaley trying to get out of a jam on the par-5 11th hole at the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday in Jackson, Mississippi.

Whaley stepped into some murky water to play a shot. He looked cautiously over his shoulder to find a 6-foot alligator staring him down. Somehow, he managed to save par on the hole and get out of harm’s way in the process.

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Vince Whaley plays his shot from the third tee during the final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on Oct. 5, 2025, in Jackson, Mississippi. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

He said he figured the reptile was about 20 feet away when he attempted his shot.

“Well, thankfully my back was to him, so I could focus on the shot for a second,” Whaley said, adding that he had “a lot of trust” in his caddie watching his back.

The alligator never moved, but Whaley revealed the plan should it have crept closer.

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Vince Whaley hits his ball out of a bunker at the fifth green during the final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

“The plan was to get the hell out of the water,” he said.

Whaley finished 5-under par for the round and 19-under for the tournament at Country Club of Jackson. He was tied for third for the tournament with Rasmus Højgaard and Danny Walker. Steven Fisk finished two strokes better than Garrick Higgo to win the tournament.

The 30-year-old golfer has played 135 events in his PGA Tour career. Though he has no wins, he’s made 84 cuts, finished five times in the top five and 11 times in the top 10.

Vince Whaley and Max Homa walk down the No. 1 fairway during the fourth round of the Sanderson Farms Championship, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Jackson, Mississippi. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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He has three top 10 finishes during the 2025 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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