This week's Zurich Classic, a PGA Tour event in New Orleans, is well-known for a unique feature in its golf course: Alligators. Not just a few passing through, either, but 10 to 12 that have made the course their permanent home.
One of these gators is a three-legged beast affectionately dubbed "Tripod." As a gator of distinction, Tripod is a fun sight for both fans and golfers. In 2013, Tripod ran onto the course during televised play and interrupted the activities, earning a wide berth from organizers and other spectators as he made an awkward run across the fairway.
Now, everyone's excited to see an encore from Tripod.
Perhaps the scariest aspect of the alligators' presence is the way they can slip out of the water and onto the green while golfers stand oblivious. And they have a habit of inconveniencing the golfers: Just last year, a gator crawled onto the green and got in the way of one golfer's attempt to play.
No one seemed to know what to do until one of the golfers, a former LSU player named John Peterson, borrowed a sand rake and ushered the gator back into the water Louisiana-style.
The moral of the story: Watch where you step. And if you're playing the Zurich Classic, it's best to partner up with a native who can show you the ropes of gator-wrangling.
As the color commentator noted of Tripod's fairway sprint, "That’s a real hazard right there."
