Bee or hornet attacks, like most animal attacks, come fast and unexpected. The added trouble about flying insects with stingers is that they're almost impossible to escape and react more violently to the typically panicked motions of a person caught in a swarm.

The usual scene unfolded when professional golfer Pablo Larrazabal was attacked by about 40 hornets during the second round of the Malaysian Open on Friday, ESPN reported. Luckily, almost every golf course has a water trap. After removing his shoes and shirt, Larrazabal dove in, momentarily ending the hornets' siege. He was stung several times.

"They were three times the size of bees," Larrazbal, a 30 year-old from Spain who plays on the European Tour, told ESPN. "They were huge and like 30 or 40 of them started to attack me big time. I didn't know what to do. My caddie told me to run, so I start running like a crazy guy, but the hornets were still there, so the other players told me to jump in the lake.

"I ran to the lake, threw my scorecard down, took off my shoes and jumped in the water. It was the scariest moment of my career, for sure. I've never been so scared."

Larrazabal and his caddie soon realized it was the shirt attracting the hornets' malice when the angry insects returned after he put it back on. So he grabbed a new top and birdied the 14th hole for a 68 on the day. For the tournament, he's tied for 25th at two under, seven shots behind leader Antonio Lascuna of the Phillipines.

Since Larrazabal made the cut, he'll play the 14th hole twice more.

"It looks like I'll be playing the weekend, so tomorrow it will be very, very scary to play that hole," Larrazabal said.

Larrazabal has four career wins since turning professional in 2004 and joining the European Tour in 2008, when he won Rookie of the Year. His most recent was earlier this year at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. His best finish at a major was tied for 30th at the 2011 British Open. (He also finished tied for 45th at the PGA Championship the same year.)