[NEWS] Six spectators hurt after lightning strike at Tour Championship – Loganspace AI

(Reuters) – Six spectators had been injured when lightning struck a tree all over the third round at the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Saturday, the PGA Tour acknowledged in a advise.

“At 4.Forty five p.m., there had been two lightning strikes at East Lake Golf Membership; a tree near the range/15 green/16 tee became once hit, and debris from that strike injured four folk,” the Tour acknowledged.

“(Emergency personnel) tended to those fans and two others immediately and transported them from the property through ambulance for further clinical attention.

“Our newest describe is that their accidents manufacture now not seem like lifestyles-threatening.”

The strike came about 28 minutes after the third round had been halted when thunderstorms popped up over the direction, acknowledged Tour guidelines legit Designate Russell on the NBC broadcast.

“We knew we had been going to salvage perhaps some pop-up thunderstorms this day,” Russell acknowledged.

“When one did salvage correct over the high of us we suspended play immediately.”

Play became once suspended for the day, and have to resume at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) native time on Sunday.

NBC screened photos exhibiting the lightning stride that it appears to be like triggered the accidents.

Skilled golf tournaments turned rather more vigilant about stopping play amid the menace of lightning after two spectators had been killed at separate important championships within the US in 1991.

One man became once killed and five others injured while sheltering under a tree at the 1991 U.S. Originate at Hazeltine in Minnesota.

Two months later, one other spectator died when struck while walking to his automobile at the PGA Championship at Zigzag Stick in Indiana.

Then once more, while gamers and caddies are loaded into autos and taken again to the clubhouse in such cases, fans are left to seek their very have shelter, and would possibly perchance lack the time to leave the direction safely or remove now to now not manufacture so.

Saturday’s stoppage came after the leaders within the 30-man discipline had accomplished handiest five holes within the season-ending match.

Justin Thomas led fellow American Brooks Koepka and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy by one stroke, while American Xander Schauffele became once two at the again of.

The winner on Sunday will acquire a describe first prize of $15 million.