The bizarre incident happened on the fifth hole at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club – Larrazabal’s 14th hole of the day – and after receiving treatment the 30-year-old went on to birdie the par five and make another on the seventh.

“I hit my tee shot just right of the bunker and chipped it out quite well,” Larrazabal said. “So I’m walking along and suddenly I felt something on my nose. I swatted it away and suddenly...they were not bees, they were three times the size of bees.

“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.

“So I ran to the lake, threw my scorecard down, took off my shoes and jumped into the lake. It was the scariest moment of my career, for sure. I’ve never been so scared.

“I had to throw my shirt and hat away, and the towel I’d been swatting them with. The referees and a doctor took me aside and gave me a couple of injections and told me to relax. After the injections I felt a lot better and could continue. Without the help of the referees I couldn’t have finished the round, because I was in no state to play golf.

“Tomorrow it will be very, very scary to play that hole. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but hopefully I will play it as quickly as I can.”

After an opening 74, Larrazabal’s round left him two under par for the tournament, seven shots behind clubhouse leader Antonio Lascuna of the Philippines.