PRO golfer Min Woo Lee was forced to run away from a mystery animal at the US Open.
The hilarious moment came on the eve of the prestigious tournament, which kicks off on Thursday and sees the sports’ top stars go for gold.
Min Woo Lee was left stunned as he encountered a feisty critter at the US OpenGetty
The mysterious creature ended up chasing Lee, forcing him to run awayInstagram @minwoo27lee
However, Australian ace Lee had a close run-in with a cute critter while warming up on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old, ranked 31st in the world, was getting his shorts in on the green at Pinehurst in North Carolina.
But Lee was left stunned as a mysterious animal ran onto the turf.
Despite looking like a squirrel, the small creature had a bizarre black-and-white colouring.
It left Lee fearing it may have been a skunk.
And the golfer was forced to retreat in brilliant scenes as the animal gave chase on several occasions.
Filming the incident, Lee said: “Hello Pinehurst. What is this animal?
“Is it a skunk, or a raccoon, or a squirrel?”
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Lee then said to the creature: “Stay back, brother, stay back. You want something? Look at this stance.”
However, the comments appeared to inflame the animal, which began bounding towards Lee.
Last 10 winners of the US Open
2023: Wyndham Clark
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2016: Dustin Johnson
2015: Jordan Spieth
2014: Martin Kaymer
He yelped: “Oi! Stay back, brother! I just want to get a side profile!”
Luckily for Lee, the furry fiend then slinked off the course.
He sighed: “Just chilling.”
Fans were left in stitches at Lee’s run-in with the mystery animal, which turned out to be a harmless fox squirrel.
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Unlike red and grey squirrels, they come in several different colours and sizes.
And Lee will have to get used to their presence, with the native North American creature particularly rampant in the Carolinas and other eastern states.
One fan said: “Dying at Lee’s first encounter with Pinehurst’s fox squirrels.”
Another declared: “He’s Australian so he’s used to harmless looking things being violently dangerous.”
One noted: “They come right up to the cart for food.”
Another added: “I’ve never seen these before, would definitely have said the same thing.”