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There are 160 golfers on the golf course this weekend at the Zurich Classic, sectioned off into 80 pairs that will battle it out for the crown over the next few days. Many of them are among the world's best at this sport, but none quite make headlines like a certain reptile that wandered its way onto the 17th hole during the action.
An alligator, a common sight in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, wandered onto the golf course, prompting time to be called as it slowly transversed through the grass.
While they are dangerous creatures, alligators are so common in the area that one golfer didn't even stop taking practice swings as it wandered across the course. Everyone just tried to get a picture rather than panicking about it.
It prompted the announcers on the broadcast to note the amount of times an alligator has interrupted or shown up at this tournament. Usurprisingly, it has happened more than once. It has happened so often that one alligator was nicknamed Tripod for having three legs and another was denoted for missing a different leg (front left as opposed to front right) than Tripod.
The tournament wasn't delayed for long. The PGA Tour has suffered quite a few lengthy delays for a variety of reasons this year (mostly weather-related), but they were largely able to avoid any downtime and keep rolling right along.
Rory McIlroy finally gave in to team events for Zurich Classic
Rory McIlroy is not one for team events. He often participates in the Ryder Cup often, but even that can feel like a solo event focused on individual points. There are very few true team events in golf, but the Zurich Classic is one of them. Until now, McIlroy had avoided it entirely.
Bubba Watson had reportedly asked him plenty of times, but he declined. It wasn't until the 2023 Ryder Cup when reportedly thanks to a tiny bit of alcohol, Shane Lowry was able to convince McIlroy to join up:
"I just thought it would be fun to do, going and playing here with a friend and enjoying a week in New Orleans. And going to eat some good food at night and trying to play some good golf during the day. I thought it would be a fun week," McIlroy admitted.
However, the Irishman doesn't do anything that he doesn't believe he can win. He thinks the duo is good for one another and believes they will make a solid team on the course but also that they're friends off of it, which helps. They want to compete, but it needs to be an enjoyable experience
McIlroy said he was excited to play in a new place and in a new format. To start out, he and Lowry are doing pretty well at the Zurich Classic. At the time of writing, they were four under par through five holes. They trailed by seven strokes as the duo of Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard were tied at -11 with Patton Kizzire and Ben Kohles.
