Daniela Holmqvist of Sweden got a little more then she bargained during the front-nine of the ISPS Handa Australian Open in Yarralumla. Holmqvist was participating in the LPGA pre-qualifier and had made it to the fourth hole without incident, but things changed quickly as she tried to hit her second shot out of the rough. She was bitten by a black widow spider on her ankle, and just seconds after swatting it away she hit the ground in pain.
Holmqvist spoke to Svensk Golf about the incident:
“When I told the local caddies in my group what had happened, they got very upset and said it was a Black Widow, and immediately started looking for their phones to call the medics,”
As no one was reacting quickly enough Holmqvist was forced to play doctor herself. She grabbed a golf tee from her pocket and cut open the wound so she could squeeze out all of the venom. A black widow bite has been known to kill a child in just around a half hour.
“A clear fluid came out, it wasn’t the prettiest thing I’ve ever done, but I had to get as much of it out of me as possible.”
When asked later that evening how she was feeling following the bite, she retorted light-heartedly.
“It still hurts, I don’t recommend getting bitten by a Black Widow.”
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