Giant alligator interrupts South Carolina golf tournament
The golfers didn't notice the gator at first, but then "hopped on their carts."
— -- A gargantuan alligator interrupted a golf tournament in South Carolina Monday, nonchalantly walking across the course as players watched carefully nearby.
The gator was photographed at The River Course on Kiawah Island, as it snuck up on players participating in the Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic's 10th Annual Celebrity Golf Invitational.
At first, the men did not notice as the alligator approached them, said photographer Carrie Moores, marketing and communications specialist for the Barrier Island Free Medical Clinic. Once Moores alerted them to the gator's presence, "they hopped in their carts to zoom off," she told ABC News.
In a second photo, the players are watching the gator from the safety of their golf carts.
A representative for The Kiawah Island Club told ABC News that gators often walk onto the courses before retreating back to the ponds.
The invitational raised money for uninsured patients in the area to receive free patient care at the clinic, based on nearby Johns Island, according to ABC Charleston affiliate WCIV.
A video posted to Instagram Monday afternoon shows another large gator crashing a round of golf at the Osprey Point Course -- also on Kiawah Island, about four miles east of The River Course.
In the video, golfers stop and stare, as the alligator slowly makes its way across the grass. It's unclear if it was the same alligator observed at The River Course.
Kiawah Island, located about 25 miles southwest of Charleston, is known for its beaches and acclaimed golf courses.
ABC News' Fergal Gallagher and Devin Villacis contributed to this report.