Spectators were struck by lightning during the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship when thunderstorms ripped through Cromwell, Connecticut, on Saturday afternoon.
Play was suspended at 3:30 PM ET during the third round of the Tour’s final signature event as dangerous weather threatened the tournament at TPC River Highlands.
Fans were urged to seek shelter from the bad weather as players were rushed to the safety of the clubhouse, but despite precautions, two spectators were struck by lightning almost an hour after the horn sounded.
Around 4:26 PM ET, Cromwell Police received 911 calls of a lightning strike in the area of Pierson Green – a residential road located within the boundaries of the golf course.
First responders arrived on the scene and discovered that a tree had been struck near the strike containing three people, the Cromwell Fire Department said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
Spectators were struck by lightning during the Travelers Championship on Saturday afternoon
Tom Kim had taken the lead before the horn sounded, halting play for three hours
Torrential rain, fierce lightning and high winds devastated the TPC River Highlands
Two people were treated at the scene by emergency services before being taken to hospital. Another refused treatment.
Torrential rain, fierce lightning and high winds devastated the TPC River Highlands as golfers were forced to abandon play for almost three hours.
The night’s leaders, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia, had built a one-stroke lead over the rest of the field after playing just six and seven holes of their third round respectively.
The PGA Tour stars, including the chasing pack of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, PGA Championship winner race to complete. against the fading light.
It was the second time that the tournament was hit by a storm. The Travelers had been forced into another three-hour delay the day before, with new dad Scheffler, who admitted he had spent the break changing dirty diapers, among those completing their second lap in front of evacuated New England galleries.