Vince Whaley didn't win the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday, but it wasn't for a lack of effort.
Vince Whaley didn't win the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday but it wasn't for a lack of effort. That included hitting from the water's edge with his feet in a lake not far from an alligator. Which begged the question: what the heck was Whaley thinking?
It happened at the par-5 11th hole at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi, and Whaley, a 30-year-old Georgia Tech grad seeking his first PGA Tour title, took off his shoes and socks and rolled up the bottom of his pants to play his third shot with his feet submerged in the water. It's always impressive to see a pro go the extra mile to avoid a penalty stroke, but this shot went next level because there was an alligator lurking way too close for comfort. As Golf Channel's Curt Byrum put it, "My heart rate is elevated just watching this."
Whaley splashed out, avoiding a run in with the gator and the fate of Chubbs Peterson of "Happy Gilmore" fame, and his ball was just short of the green. He chipped inside 3 feet and saved par en route to shooting 5-under 67 and finishing at 19-under 269, good for a season-best tie for third.
But Whaley's bold move to play from a few feet away from an alligator places it on the list of shots of the year and jumps to the top of the tournament highlight reel.
Play it as it lies 🐊
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 5, 2025
Vince Whaley played this shot from the lake ... just a few feet away from a gator @Sanderson_Champ! pic.twitter.com/iK3NaSEdiZ
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Watch: What was this pro thinking to play shot feet from alligator?
Category: General Sports
