Larrazabal forced to flee hornet attack

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  • April 18, 2014

Pablo Larrazabal was forced to dive into a lake after being attacked by hornets during the second round of the Malaysian Open.

The Spaniard was on the fifth hole – his 14th – during Friday’s second round at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club when the bizarre incident occurred.

Amazingly, Larrabal received treatment and then carried on, posting a remarkable 68.

“I hit my tee shot just right of the bunker and chipped it out quite well,” Larrazabal said. “So I’m walking along and suddenly I felt something on my nose. I swatted it away and suddenly…they were not bees, they were three times the size of bees.

“They were huge and like 30 or 40 of them started to attack me big time. I didn’t know what to do. My caddie told me to run, so I start running like a crazy guy, but the hornets were still there, so the other players told me to jump in the lake.

“So I ran to the lake, threw my scorecard down, took off my shoes and jumped into the lake. It was the scariest moment of my career, for sure. I’ve never been so scared.

“I had to throw my shirt and hat away, and the towel I’d been swatting them with. The referees and a doctor took me aside and gave me a couple of injections and told me to relax. After the injections I felt a lot better and could continue. Without the help of the referees I couldn’t have finished the round, because I was in no state to play golf.

“Tomorrow it will be very, very scary to play that hole. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but hopefully I will play it as quickly as I can.”

Rounds of 74 and 68 will see Larrazabal resume on two under par on Saturday, 11 shots behind runaway leader Lee Westwood.

You can watch a clip of the incident here here.

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