Most golf courses have hazards, but few are as dangerous as one encountered by LPGA Tour rookie Daniela Holmqvist in Australia recently: a potentially fatal Black Widow spider.
Holmqvist, who hails from Sweden, was participating in a pre-qualifier for the ISPS Handa Australian Open at Royal Canberra Golf Club in Yarralumla, Australia.
On the fourth hole Holmqvist felt a sharp pain in her ankle, and she looked down to see the Black Widow on her leg.
Holmqvist swatted the arachnid away, but before she knew it she was doubled over in pain.
“When I told the local caddies in my group what had happened, they got very upset and said it was a Black Widow, and immediately started looking for their phones to call the medics,” Holmqvist told Svensk Golf.
A Black Widow is so venomous that its bites can kill an adult in under an hour – children can die within 30 minutes if struck by the creatures, and the caddies were terrified by what might happen.
But while the locals rushed around worried, Holmqvist kept calm knowing she had to act fast.
With her leg swelling up, Holmqvist reached desperately into her pocket and pulled out a golf tee which she used to gash open her leg and squeeze the venom out.
“A clear fluid came out,” Holmqvist said.
“It wasn’t the prettiest thing I’ve ever done, but I had to get as much of it out of me as possible.”
Amazingly, Holmqvist played on through her pain, shooting a 74 on the day. Medics followed her around the course to make sure she didn’t pass out.
After her round, she couldn’t help but joke about the incident on Twitter:
Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
