PGA Championship stars briefly paused while a turtle was removed from the Quail Hollow course. Staff were called to mend the bunker after the wild animal climbed out of a water hazard.
The common snapping turtle appeared on the 14th hole. It waddled into the bunker and made a complete mess of the sand. Players paused from teeing off while grounds staff were called to deal with the situation. They initially prodded the turtle before it returned to the water. They then raked the bunker to ensure it was competition standard.
Play subsequently resumed and the turtle did not appear again. However, earlier in the day, another turtle had come out of the water on the same hole, disrupting Ryan Gerard on the green. The seemingly frightened animal quickly scarpered back into the water after briefly exploring the green.
Sky TV commentator and PGA champ Rich Beem pointed out the turtle on the course and said: “That will rip your finger off!”
The 25-year-old Gerard had briefly led in a surprising first round at Quail Hollow. It was a good day for the tournament’s lesser-profile stars and a bad one for some of the world’s best. 68th-ranked Cameron Davis leads the field heading into the second round.
Another one of the day’s best storylines was the success of Team Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald. The 47-year-old hit four under par and was the joint-leader at one stage.
Donald, who has historically struggled at Quail Hollow, confessed afterwards: “I’m here only because I’m captain of the European Ryder Cup Team. I wouldn’t be in this field otherwise. Bogey-free in a major championship on a course that you wouldn’t have thought would be ideal for me is always fun.
“It’s been fun, obviously Rory [McIlroy] spearheading with three wins, winning the Masters, Sepp [Straka] winning a couple times, some other guys throwing their hat in the rings and many others having a chance to win as well, so maybe I was inspired by them for my round.”
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy endured a disastrous first day and is tied for 105th after hitting three over par. The Northern Irishman managed only two birdies in his round of 74, only a month after completing the Career Slam by winning the Masters at Augusta.
