A 35-year-old man was playing disc golf on Monday afternoon around 5 p.m. at Cliff Stephens Park in Clearwater when he had an unexpected encounter.
According to Fox13 News, Clearwater Fire Rescue said that the man was trying to retrieve a disc from a dark, murky pond when a large alligator rose up and attacked him, dragging him under.
A witness told the TV station that players linked arms to rescue the victim, later identified as Richard Peel, and pull him out of the murky water.
Trappers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission later captured the gator, which was estimated to be about 11 feet long. The reptile was reportedly known as “Fat Daddy,” reports News Channel 8.
Witnesses told the outlet that Peel was able to stab the alligator in the eye with a knife during the struggle.
“You could see the alligator’s eye kind of hanging out,” Damon Walker told News Channel 8.
Peel was transported to a local hospital with injuries to his arm, and is expected to make a full recovery.
Disc golf is a sport in which players throw a disc at a target on a golf course.
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