A Golf Hazard With an Appetite

Golfers are accustomed to losing balls in water hazards. Charl Schwartzel lost one to something living in the water.

Schwartzel’s tee shot on the 134-yard seventh hole landed safely on the green, spun backward, and slowly rolled into a nearby pond.

Then things got strange.

A fish surfaced from the murky water and swallowed the golf ball.

The unusual moment was caught on video during the final round of a LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Aug. 9.

Schwartzel, the South African golfer who won the 2011 Masters, couldn’t do much about his unexpected aquatic interference. He took a one-stroke penalty and eventually finished the hole with a bogey.

Even the broadcasters were surprised, with one saying he had never seen anything like it.

The hungry culprit appeared to be a largemouth bass.

That actually makes the fish’s mistake a little easier to understand. Largemouth bass are visual hunters that often react quickly to sudden movement, striking prey and swallowing it whole. It’s the same instinct anglers try to trigger with artificial lures.

Apparently, a golf ball rolling into the water was convincing enough.

Anglers spend plenty of money finding just the right lure to tempt a largemouth bass.

This one apparently preferred a Titleist.