PGA Player Vince Whaley had his own private audience at the Sanderson Farms Championship. The 30-year-old pro removed his shoes, rolled up his pants, and stepped into the water to play his shot on the 11th hole of the final round this Sunday. Seen lurking behind him in the waters of the Country Club Jackson, in Jackson, Mississippi, is an alligator, who keeps a close eye on him as he swings.
Whaley Saves Par
Despite the alligator watching him from just 20 feet away, Whaley found the concentration needed to hit the ball. He came up just shy of the green but still managed to save par. At the time, Whaley was one shot outside of first, and the pressure was on.
“Well, thankfully, my back was to him so I could focus on the shot for a second,” Whaley said, when asked about the play. He added that he had “a lot of trust” in his caddie, who was monitoring the situation.
When asked what he would have done had the alligator made any movements, Whaley responded with a playful, but serious sentence. “The plan was to get the hell out of the water.”
Impressively, Whaley keeps his composure during the shot. He is able to focus on the ball, despite the water and the gator, and doesn’t seemed too fazed by the lingering danger. The gator seemed to enjoy the up close show, and never moved from his spot. Luckily, no was injured, gators and people alike.
Even after this impressively close call, Whaley wasn’t able to secure the win at this event. The PGA professional has yet to win on tour. Currently, he has 5 top-5 finishes, 11 top-10 finishes, and 1 runner up position.
Sanderson Farms Championship
At the final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship, Vince Whaley came in T3 overall. The American finished 19 under, and tied alongside fellow American Danny Walker and Danish professional Rasmus Hojgaard. Garrick Higgo came in second at 22 under and Steven Fisk took home the win at 24 under par.
Fisk shot an impressive 8 under for 64 for his final round. He became the 4th rookie to win on the PGA Tour this season. Having lost his father earlier this year, the moment was bittersweet for Fisk, who stated,
“I think he nudged a couple putts in for me for sure, maybe him or Grayson. I had a couple of helpers out there,” Fisk said. “I miss him very much, and I know he’d be really proud of how I played all week and especially today to keep my composure and just kind of go about my business the best way I know how.”
Notably, Fisk’s caddie Jay Green had previously caddied for the late Grayson Murray during his 2024 win at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
After the win Fisk went on to say to Golf Channel, “I came out today with an attitude that nothing was going to stop me, I just felt like I’d be standing right here, right now, before the round started. I know I’m good enough. I thought I could do it.”
The win secures Fisk’s PGA Tour card through the 2027 season.
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