"Legend": Paige Spiranac praises Billy Horschel's "jog" after taming an alligator at the Cognizant Classic

Billy Horschel made waves on X, catching the attention of golf influencer Paige Spiranac, after he managed to move an alligator back into the water at the Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Horschel is competing at the 2025 Cognizant Classic, and finished his first round with a score of 5-under, placing him at T16. He had to deal with an alligator during his round, and expertly used one of his clubs to prod it back towards the water.

"The best part is the jog after to keep pace of play. Legend," Spiranac wrote on X in a respost of the video that was initally posted by Paul Hodowanic.

Spiranac has more than a million followers on X, with her repost getting more than 440,000 views as of this writing.

Billy Horschel at his recent TGL Match (via Getty)

Horschel, a native of Florida and a graduate of the University of Florida, demonstrated his confidence around the dangerous reptile, to the amusement of the gallery.

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Billy Horschel off to a hot start the Cognizant Classic

Despite the run in with the gator during the opening round, Billy Horschel performed well, shooting a five-under par 66. Horschel is currently sitting in T16th place, sitting seven shots behind the leader Jake Knapp, who is at 12 strokes under par.

Horschel performed well in the Cognizant Classic in 2024, finishing tied for ninth place at 12-under par.

This tournament marks the first event of the PGA Tour's Florida leg, which will also feature THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in two weeks' time. The Tour's Florida leg will close with the Valspar Championship at the Innisbrook Resort.

Horschel played well during the Tour's Florida leg in 2024, not only with the top 10 finish in the Cognizant Classic, but he also finished tied for 12th in the Valspar Championship. He narrowly missed the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship in between his two strong finishes.

Horschel's 2025 has included some ups and downs, most recently with his Atlanta Drive Golf Club defeating Boston Common Golf in their TGL match on Monday. Horschel's two points on hole 14 after Atlanta chose to throw the hammer down essentially sealed the victory.

Billy Horschel speaks with Hideki Matsuyama at recent TGL event (via Getty)

Despite his success in the TGL event, Horschel has struggled in some of his 2025 PGA Tour starts, missing the cut in three of the six events so far, not including the Cognizant Classic. Horschel did, however, have a top 10 finish at the AT&T Pebble Peach Pro-Am, finishing tied for ninth place at 15-under par.

Horschel is currently ranked 20th in the Offical World Golf Ranking, with his most recent win on Tour coming last April in the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Domincan Republic. He also won the European Tour's BMW PGA Championship in September of last year.

The former Florida Gator often makes headlines in his return to his home state. The eight-time PGA Tour winner was a star on the Gators' golf team from 2006-2009, being selected as an All-American four times.