British tourist Dougie Thompson attacked by crocodile in Mexico while playing golf

58-year-old needed 200 stitches after the animal tore through muscle in his thigh and hip

Dougie Thompson needed 200 stitches after the animal tore through muscle in his thigh and hip (Getty Images)

A British father is recovering in a Toronto hospital after being attacked by a crocodile on a Mexican golf course.

Dougie Thompson was attending a friends wedding in Cancun with friends Brendan O’Hara, Gordon Victory and Martin Botright when the attack took place.

Mr Thompson recalled stepping into a bunker to take a shot during a game of golf when the reptile appeared from nearby undergrowth and clamped down on his leg, in an attempt to drag him into a swamp close to the Iberostar Cancun Golf Club.

It was only after one friend beat the animal with a golf club while another drove over it in a golf buggy that it released its grip, allowing him to be pulled to safety by his friends.

The 58-year-old, from Wishaw, near Glasgow required 200 stitches after the 12ft crocodile tore through muscle in his thigh and hip.

"I couldn't feel pain, I was in total shock. It was like a big toy, big black eyes looking at me," the engineer told the Daily Mirror.

"Hitting it was like hitting a brick wall.

"The crocodile tore away all the muscle in my thigh. My leg is like a butcher's shop window. Initially only two of us were going golfing. If that had happened, there is no way one friend could have helped.

"It would have pulled me back into the lagoon and had me for supper."

The father-of-two is now preparing to be flown home to Canada, where he lives with his family, for further treatment.