A golfer has been accused of biting off the nose of his competitor in a casino car park during an argument over their game, police have said.

The suspect Mark Wells, 51, of Biloxi, Mississippi, initially fled the scene before turning himself in, Bay St Louis police chief Toby Schwartz said.

The nose was not found, and the victim was taken to hospital, local TV reported.

Officers responding to a complaint of an assault at the city’s Hollywood Casino arrived to find a man with a disfiguring facial injury.

“The investigation determined that suspect, Mark Curtis Wells, bit the nose off of the victim,” Mr Schwartz said.

‘Felony mayhem’

Officers were told Mr Wells and the victim had been arguing throughout the day over a golf game they played earlier at the resort.

Mr Wells was charged with felony mayhem.

He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of the charge, which state law defines as a premeditated “crime committed with the intent to kill in which the suspect mutilates, disfigures, disables or destroys someone’s tongue, eye, lip, nose, limb or another body part”.