Spiderman has the Green Goblin to deal with; Daniela Holmqvist just has greens.
Holmqvist, a rookie golfer on the Ladies European Tour, was bitten by a poisonous spider on the fourth hole of a pre-qualifier for the ISPS Handa Australian Open on Tuesday. It would have been very easy to pack up the clubs at the point, but instead she dug out the venom with a tee and finished the final 14 holes.
After punching out of the rough at the Royal Canberra Golf Club, Holmqvist told Svensk Golf she felt pain in her ankle and saw the creature right above her sock line.
“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,” Holmqvist, who played her college golf at Cal, told the paper.
Later reports say the spider was actually a Redback, not a Black Widow. Both are very dangerous, and Holmqvist used one of her golf tees to remove the poisonous venom.
“It was the only thing I had handy,” she told Svensk. Adding, “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.”
She was healthy enough where she shot a 74 with medics following her around to ensure she was out of danger. Though, the score was not good enough to qualify for the tournament.
“So I went to see a doctor.. On a double dose of antibiotics and some other stuff 4 times per day. Also the wound needed some attention,” the 24-year old wrote on Twitter Wednesday.