Gator attacks man fetching golf ball

A man who lost his ball in a golf course pond could have lost a limb when an alligator latched on to his arm and pulled him into the water, authorities said in Venice.

Bruce Burger, 50, was trying to retrieve his ball from a pond on the sixth hole at the Lake Venice Golf Club despite a sign that said “Beware of Alligator.” After the gator grabbed him, Burger struck the reptile with his other arm until it let go. He was not seriously hurt.

It took seven Fish and Wildlife officers an hour to trap the one-eyed alligator, which measured 10-foot-11, said Gary Morse of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.