Tour Pro Talor Gooch Chooses “Life Over A Good Lie”

Tour pro Talor Gooch faced an interesting dilemma during his round at the Zurich Classic when a stubborn gator refused to move away from Gooch’s ball. What to do?

PGATour.com’s Ben Everill delivers the details.

Gooch’s ball came to rest Thursday within a few feet of three gators, leading to a lengthy delay as he sorted out his options.

Chesson Hadley used a rake to nudge two of the gators on the tail, sending them back into the pond surrounding the green. But the third gator wouldn’t budge.

“It woke him up from a nap and he was hissing away and wasn’t happy.”

“I like my life. I like it with all my limbs. So I stay away from those things.

“We went back in the bunker a little bit Gooch said. Unfortunately when you take a drop in the bunker you are going to get a terrible lie – but I chose life over a good lie in the bunker.”

The Oklahoma State product called in PGA TOUR rules official Steve Carman to get a ruling and after Carman’s unsuccessful attempts to scare it away with a rake and a golf umbrella, Gooch was permitted to take relief.

He pulled his ball back 10 yards, still in the bunker, but with the gators ahead of him where he could at least see them.

“The third one was eating the rake basically, so we decided that we would not take the chance,” 27-year-old Gooch said.