Golf has an unusual way of humbling even the best players in the sport. Adam Scott, a Masters champion and one of the smoothest swingers of his generation, learned that lesson rather unexpectedly. It wasn’t a bunker, a three-putt, or a wayward drive that got the better of him—it was a kangaroo.
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Kevin Kisner discovered the bizarre story while playing a round with Scott and later shared it on the Barstool Fore Play podcast. What began as an ordinary conversation between the two quickly turned into a hilarious reminder that, on a golf course, you never quite know what—or who—you’re going to encounter.
“Mate, one time I was out practicing late by myself. I was on a tee box, hitting multiple balls, with bushes all around me. Then I looked over—and there was a kangaroo,” Kisner recalled Scott telling him the story after asking the Australian about the craziest thing that had ever happened to him back home. What happened next, however, made the unexpected encounter even more memorable.
According to Kisner, the kangaroo became agitated, charged at Scott, rose onto its hind legs, and kicked him square in the chest. When Kisner asked what happened next, Scott responded with a question of his own: Did he know how strong kangaroos were? Kisner admitted he had no idea.
Scott’s answer gave Kisner a good idea: “I flew 15 feet.” While he sailed through the air, Scott felt sure the kangaroo would continue attacking him until it caused serious harm. Instead, he hit the ground and immediately ran.
Fortunately, the kangaroo’s attack left him with little more than a painful reminder of the bizarre encounter. With nobody around to witness what had happened, the whole incident was almost surreal.
For an Adelaide-born Australian, however, a run-in with a kangaroo is almost a rite of passage. Exactly which golf course Scott was practicing at that day remains unclear.
Ironically, Kisner has had his own share of unexpected wildlife encounters. During NBC’s coverage of the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush, a bat began circling the booth he shared with Dan Hicks. Hicks jokingly flailed at the bat as it flew around them, while Kisner instinctively sank deeper into his chair.
Kisner later admitted that “a little bit of panic happened” during the unexpected interruption. He even joked that the bat was probably still somewhere up there, “live and well.”
Plus, kangaroo scraps are more common than one thinks. A viral 2023 video also captured a similar incident: an angry kangaroo charging a golfer in Australia. The golfer at first tried to dodge it around its cart before swinging a driver at it.
Scott’s kangaroo encounter is far from the only time professional golfers have had to deal with unexpected wildlife on the course. At PGA National, Billy Horschel once came across an alligator crossing the green and nudged it back toward the water gently with his 60-degree wedge.
During the 2014 Malaysian Open, a swarm of hornets reportedly stung Pablo Larrazábal about 20 times, subjecting him to an even more painful ordeal. Incredibly, after escaping the attack by jumping into a nearby lake, Larrazábal still managed to make a birdie on the hole.
That said, bizarre moments seem to have followed Scott lately. On Sunday at the Presidents Cup, for instance, his 79-yard approach on the second hole of the third course struck the flagstick before rolling back to roughly 40 feet. His opponent, Patrick Cantlay, fared much better, leaving his approach just over four feet from the hole.
Cantlay eventually closed out the match 2&1, helping the U.S. complete its comeback.
All things considered, Scott’s encounter may top them all regarding sheer violence. Fortunately, he escaped with little more than a bruised chest, a wild story to tell, and perhaps a newfound respect for just how powerful a kangaroo’s legs can be.