gimme shel(l)ter
PGA Championship 2025: Snapping turtle delays play at Quail Hollow after damaging bunker
Alex Slitz
Golf is a weird sport. You get to one of the biggest events of the calendar year, and the next thing you know, you’re researching common snapping turtles in North Carolina. Let’s see football or basketball lead to a search result like that!
It’s been quite a week at Quail Hollow—between the Kardashian comps and the mud-ball mishegoss—and on Thursday afternoon, snapping turtles entered the chat.
That’s right. During the opening round of the 2025 PGA Championship, a turtle on the 14th hole paused the competition after digging in a bunker, requiring the groundstaff to prod it out. Then, the Quail Hollow team had to fix the mess that the animal made and get the sand back to competition shape for the rest of the day’s golfers.
We can’t say we expected to hear the following at the PGA: "We had some turtles coming out of the lake and do some damage to the bunker." And yet, it’s only right that one of the biggest golf tournaments of the year includes some animal chaos. We’ve all been there on the course. Shouldn’t the game’s best have to interact with nature as well?
Speaking of, Korn Ferry Tour winner and surprise early leader Ryan Gerard came across a snapping turtle (unsure if the same one or a different one, we didn't ask) on the par-4 14th after a wayward chip skidded off the green, near the lake.
ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt turned it into a chance to yell “Go Terps!” Once a Maryland grad, always a Maryland grad. Likewise, Sky TV commentator and PGA champ Rich Beem pointed out the snapping turtle in the area, and added, “That will rip your finger off!”
Luckily, Gerard escaped with his hands intact, finished the hole with a par and got out of there in a hurry. He then nearly aced the following hole. Perhaps the scare got his adrenaline going! A five-under 68 and no snapping turtle attack. Strong start from the 25-year-old pro.
So, this is just another thing to keep a lookout for if you’re a pro (or fan) who made it to Quail Hollow. Cinderellas making runs, check. Unusual rules, check. Nature being crazy, check. What a start … and it’s only Thursday.
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