Snake bites tasty Melissa in China

Golfing pin-up Melissa Reid is anxious to get back on top of her game in China this week after being bitten by a snake on her right leg at the weekend, while playing in the Sanya Ladies Open in Hainan.

The 23-year-old from Derbyshire was treated by doctors but recovered sufficently to shoot rounds of 78, 68 and 69 to tie for 16th.

“Everyone is making a massive deal out of it, but really it was just a little bit scary, because of the amount of venomous snakes out here,” she said.

“I hit my second shot to the right of 16 and I was just going through the boggy bit and I felt something sharp on my leg, like a scratch. I started running and my caddie Lee was shouting ‘Reidy run, it’s after you again!’”

“I had to take 20 tablets, all in one go, because they wouldn’t let me take one at a time, and then they had to draw blood out of the bite which I was more terrified about. They wanted me to go straight to hospital and I said, ‘No, let me finish my round,’ and I pitched to about six foot and made birdie. That was for the snake!”

Hospital doctors took a swab from Reid’s leg to measure the potency of the venom but was decided the bite was not from one of the deadlier species.

“I was really calm but drawing out the blood was the most painful. I’m not very good with blood or needles, and they shoved a needle in and tried to cut it out.”

Reid feels she has recovered sufficiently to compete in this week's co-sanctioned events with the Ladies Asian and Chinese Tours in the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open which also includes 14-year-old Chinese amateur wonder kid Lin Xi-Yu.

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