Mass mongoose invasion interrupts play at Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa

A business of mongooses swept across the green at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa on Thursday.

Play was briefly interrupted as the group scurried along one of the greens at the Gary Player Country Club, where the penultimate event of the Final Series is underway.

The mongooses are thought to have come from the bordering Pilanesberg Game Reserve.

In a similiar incident earlier this year, a plague of of moths disrupted preparations for the Euro 2016 final in Paris.

Referee Mark Clattenburg, Cristiano Ronaldo and officiating legend Pierluigi Collina were among those swept up in the swarm as the insects threatened to hold up proceedings in the French capital.

But today's mass mongoose invasion in South Africa was less imposing and remarkably the animals navigated a route across the green without interfering with two balls which were in play.

It followed a difficult day for Danny Willett as his hopes of winning the Race to Dubai suffered a significant early blow in the opening round.

With more than one million points on offer to the winner in South Africa, a second victory for 2008 champion Henrik Stenson at the Gary Player Country Club would give the Swede a second Race to Dubai title in four years if Willett finishes outside the top 10.

And a triple-bogey after a penalty drop plus two further bogeys therafter saw Willett drop back to three over while playing partner Stenson kept his cool to remain on par.