Every golfer may dream of scoring a birdie, an eagle or an albatross, but one American professional is the subject of a police investigation after notching up a direct hit on a red-shouldered hawk.

Tripp Isenhour has been charged with cruelty to animals after repeatedly driving balls at the bird and killing it while filming his television show, Shoot Like a Pro.

The 39-year-old golfer, who earned $471,000 (£234,000) last year, became so incensed by the bird’s squawking at the Grand Cypress golf course near Orlando, Florida, that he reportedly declared: “I’ll get him now.”

He might have got away with it had his sound engineer not become so racked with guilt – reports suggest that he had nightmares about dead animals – that he felt compelled to inform authorities about the incident.

Mr Isenhour, who if convicted would face a maximum penalty of 14 months in jail and a $1,500 fine, has apologised for his act and pointed to his animal-friendly credentials – his family has adopted three cats from a local shelter.

His written apology, released by the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour, states that he is an animal lover. “As soon as this happened, I was mortified and extremely upset and continue to be upset,” he wrote. “I want to let everyone know there was neither any malice nor deliberate intent whatsoever to hit or harm the hawk. I was trying simply to scare it into flying away.”

Jethro Senger, the technician who reported the crime, told the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that Mr Isenhour grew impatient when the hawk interrupted his lines. “It wasn’t that extreme,” he said. “Initially, it was causing us to stop rolling a few takes.”

The golfer, who was ranked No 152 on the PGA Tour last year, first attempted to take on the bird from a distance of 300 yards. He gave up after ten minutes, but when he attempted to resume filming the hawk took flight and alighted 75 yards away in the branches of a pine tree. Witness-es told investigators that the screeching, now louder, inspired Mr Isenhour to direct more drives at the bird.

A report released by wildlife officials noted that Mr Isenhour became increasingly animated as his shots drew closer. “About the sixth ball came very near [to] the bird’s head, and [Mr Isenhour] was very excited that it was so close,” it stated.

His tenth attempt proved deadly, and the animal toppled from its perch 30ft to the ground. David Leadbetter, a noted golfing coach who did not witness the episode, told the Orlando Sentinel that the odds of hitting the bird were one in several thousand.

Mr Isenhour appeared to agree. He reportedly shouted: “I didn’t think I would hit it.”

Mr Senger said that he was shocked by the incident, which took place on December 12. “The bird was on his back, bleeding from his nostrils, his mouth was opening and closing slowly and it was looking up at me as people ran over,” he told wildlife officials. “I saw its eyes slowly close and I was pretty sure that the bird had died.”

The bird was buried near the fairway by a production assistant but was exhumed and preserved in case it needs to be produced as evidence during a trial.

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