Patrick Smith

By Brian Wacker
AVONDALE, La.—There are alligators lurking in the many waterways at TPC Louisiana. That didn’t stop Wyndham Clark. With his ball sitting just inside the hazard on the 16th hole, the 27-year-old ditched his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants and set foot into the murky water, trying to keep his ball alive in Saturday’s four-ball action at the Zurich Classic.

“This is gonna be interesting,” Golf Channel announcer Whit Watson said. “I don’t know about this at all.”

Added analyst Curt Byrum: “Hit it quick. We have seen an alligator in this lake left of 16.”

Clark did, extracting his ball from the swampy lie and knocking it onto the green with a wedge, the shot settling 15 feet behind the hole. It was an incredible shot. That was the good news.

The downside: Clark missed the putt, and he and partner Erik van Rooyen settled for par on the hole. Mud also splattered all over Clark’s white shirt.

Still, it was a heck of a par save and kept the momentum going for the duo, which went out in 30, added two more birdies on the back and finished the day bogey-free and near the top of the leaderboard.