PGA Tour pro hilariously describes bee attack: "BEES! BEES! BEES!"
Erik van Rooyen described being attacked by bees following the first round of the PGA Tour's Mexico Open at Vidanta on Thursday.
Scenes of players ducking on a golf course isn't all that unusual, but Erik van Rooyen's reasoning Thursday at the PGA Tour's Mexico Open certainly was.
Van Rooyen, 33, was playing his opening round at the Greg Norman-designed Vidanta Vallarta with Chez Reavie and Francesco Molinari.
The South African, known for displaying his ankles at all times, had a 4-iron in hand when he was getting settled to play his second shot into the par-4 10th.
Related: Watch what happened!
He was 200 yards away when suddenly the South African dropped to the ground.
"I have never seen anything like that."
A swarm of bees was probably not something @FredVR_ and crew saw coming @MexicoOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/4RjzysQ5qx— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 27, 2023
The rest of the players and caddies in the area followed suit, and then the commentator explained the unusual situation:
"They're being swarmed right now with bees," he told the viewers.
Following his round, Van Rooyen then spoke to reporters about the wacky moment during his round.
And on trying to reset after the encounter:
Van Rooyen was 3-under par at the turn when they were swarmed by the bees, and he was able to reset despite the distraction to produce a first-round 7-under par.
Have a day, @FredVR_
He finishes the day in solo second @MexicoOpenGolf. pic.twitter.com/8bpqZUWI92— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 27, 2023
It was good enough to place him in a tie for second, one stroke back of leader Austin Smotherman at 8-under par.
He'll have a solid chance to take over the lead on Friday, but hopefully he doesn't run into any more bees along the way.
