Vince Whaley was briefly eligible for hazard pay when he lined up his third shot on No. 11 in the final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi.

Whaley’s approach sailed right of the green and into the muck around a water hazard. While his ball was still playable, he had to contend with a difficult lie and a major environmental factor. An alligator lurked in the water as Whaley took his swing.

The gator was content to be a spectator as Whaley chipped out of the water and into the immediate rough.

“Well, thankfully, my back was to him so I could focus on the shot for a second,” he told reporters after the round.

If only Billy Horschel had been in the field. During the PGA National in February, Horschel used his 60-degree wedge to steer a gator off the course and back into the water.

Whaley wound up saving par on No. 11 en route to tying for third place at 19 under and earning $318,000. Steven Fisk rode a final-round 64 to the title, finishing at 24 under.