Golfer Falls 18 Feet Down Into Sinkhole in the Middle of Golf Course Fairway (See the Amazing Pics)

Mark Mihal, a golfer from Creve Coeur, Mo., was in the middle of playing a round of golf at the Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Ill., when he was suddenly swallowed up by the earth.

Well, technically he fell 18 feet down into a sinkhole in the middle of the fairway.

“I was standing in the middle of the fairway,” Mihal told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Then, all of a sudden, before I knew it, I was underground.”

(Golfmanna.com)

(Golfmanna.com)

The Yahoo! Sports Blog Devil Ball has more details:

Immediately Mihal said he thought back to a story of a man that was sleeping when ground gave way and he was never recovered, but after 20 minutes, some rope and help from the course's general manager, he was pulled from the sinkhole and back on solid ground.

The story is just as crazy as it sounds. It was the first time something like this has ever happened at Annbriar Golf Course, a course that Mihal said he plays a lot because it's always in good shape, but it seems he might be avoiding it in the future. Mihal said after the incident that it might be too strange for him to return to the course because of what happened on No. 14, but come on, you're a golfer, we all have horror stories from golf courses! The difference is, most of our bad times end with the word "bogey," not "bon voyage."

Fortunately, Mihal suffered a few bruises and a dislocated shoulder, but no life-threatening injuries.

For more information on the incident, visit golfmanna.com.