May 24, 2013
Golfer Mark Mihal of Creve Coeur, Mo., is recovering after a sinkhole opened up beneath him Friday on the 14th fairway of the Annbriar Golf Course in southern Illinois.
The pit that swallowed him was 18 feet deep and 10 feet wide.
The 43-year-old Mihal was hoisted to safety with a rope after the fall that left him with a dislocated shoulder.
Mihal still considers the course one of his favorites but admits he's having second thoughts about returning.
News 4 spoke with golf course general manager Russ Nobbe, who said he's been working with a geologist on the case. The geologist told him the sinkhole was a result of thousands of years of erosion washing away the limestone underground.
Nobbe said they believe it was an isolated incident and the consultant did not think it would happen again.
Meanwhile, the golf course employees dug the hole out and planned to fill it with gravel and dirt.
