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It’s not rare to run into an alligator on the golf course when you’re playing in a region where the animals can be found in the wild. That’s the case with the venue that welcomed the PGA Tour when the Sanderson Farms Championship was held in Mississippi, and one player had a close encounter with one while attempting a shot that required him to take off his shoes and head into the water.
America is home to ten states where alligators roam freely. That includes Mississippi, which lands near the middle of the pack as far as population is concerned with an estimated 32,000 that are primarily found in the swampy regions in the southern half of the state and those close to the famous river it shares a name with.
The capital city of Jackson may not be a hotbed for gators, but there are more than a few at the Country Club of Jackson, which is located right next to the Pearl River and boasts a number of ponds where they’re able to set up shop. That includes the one Vince Whaley had to make his way into during the final round of a recent tournament, which was occupied by one that was in his immediate vicinity when he attempted the shot.
A shoeless Vince Whaley ended up right next to an alligator when he went into the water to attempt a shot at the Sanderson Farms Championship
Vince Whaley, a 30-year-old PGA Tour player who currently occupies the 113th spot in the Official World Golf Ranking, was sitting at -14 in a tie for fifth and four strokes behind leader Garrick Higgo heading into Sunday at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
His round got off to a solid start, as he had four birdies on the front nine before suffering his first setback of the day with a bogey on the 10th. Those negative vibes followed him to the par-5 11th, and Whaley pushed his tee shot to the left of the fairway and was lucky to avoid a penalty after his shot made its way toward the water in front of the green.
Whaley had to take his shoes off and roll up his pants in order to play his third shot, and the stress he was already dealing with in the moment was supplemented courtesy of the curious gator that was lurking right behind him.
Play it as it lies 🐊
Vince Whaley played this shot from the lake … just a few feet away from a gator @Sanderson_Champ! pic.twitter.com/iK3NaSEdiZ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 5, 2025
Whaley emerged from the water unscathed and was able to salvage par on the hole en route to a tie for third that netted him $318,000.