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Snake Delayed Golfer's Round At PGA Championship

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated May 16, 2025 1:52 PM ET

An unwelcome guest at the Quail Hollow golf club delayed a golfer's round in the ongoing PGA Championship.

Yesterday some cute little turtles got an unintended front row view to the first round of the golf major. But in the second round, it was a snake.

That's right, at the 10th hole while 2003 PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel was trying to play his round, a snake made its way onto the rough, stopping him from competing. He backed away from the slithering visitor while an unnamed volunteer went onto the course to try and kick it away.

Eventually, the snake did start making its way off the course, and nearly touched Micheel's ball. One of the broadcasters even joked that he wanted to see the snake "take a bite at the ball," much to the amusement of the audience.

"I need him to take a bite at the ball."

Snake crossing at the PGA Championship pic.twitter.com/pP7AUQ8L0I
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 16, 2025

"The course difficulty level just increased. My nerves would be shot," one user wrote.

"Golfer saw that snake and instantly turned into a caddie with trust issues," joked another.

"Golf meets Animal Planet—forget birdies, we’ve got a snake in play," a third wrote.

"They’d have to take it to the next county over for me to continue playing."

"At least they showed respect to the snake... Let that be a human, they're getting rushed."

"It didn't touch the ball! What would of happened if it did? The rules have to have something in place for when a snake moves your ball," another wondered.

It certainly does make you wonder what might have happened if the snake DID touch Micheel's ball. Chances are the rules would have simply dictated that he drop the ball somewhere in the area where the snake was.

As for Micheel, he actually managed to eke out a birdie on the hole. But he still faces a serious uphill battle to making the cut.

The PGA Championship is being broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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