Golfer bitten by Black Widow spider at LPGA qualifying event, uses golf tee to drain venom

It happened at the ISPS Handa Australian Open in Yarralumla, where Daniela Holmqvist of Sweden was on the fourth hole and got bitten on the ankle by a spider. Because this is Australia where every third creature you encounter can potentially kill you, caddies immediately grabbed their cell phones and called for medical assistance.

But this was a black widow bite, and that can kill you in less than an hour. So while she was waiting for medics, Holmqvist went all MacGyver on the wound.

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. Holmqvist:

“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’s OK now, although it’s still a bit painful. Or as she told Svensk Golf:

“När hon senare mellanlandat i Brisbane i sin resa mot Thailand, och golfresorten Black Mountain, kändes det bättre. Smärtan i benet kändes fortfarande och själv kände hon sig lite konstig i kroppen, men trodde att det kunde lika gärna bero på stressen över att ha blivit biten.”

Just remember Daniela: with great power comes great responsibility.