SPECTATORS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AT TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP AS PGA TOUR EVENT IS HIT BY SECOND THREE-HOUR DANGEROUS WEATHER DELAY
Spectators were struck by lightning at the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship as thunderstorms tore through Cromwell, Connecticut, Saturday afternoon.
Play was suspended at 3:30pm 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 inclement weather as players were rushed to the safety of the clubhouse but despite the precautions, two spectators were struck by a lightning strike almost an hour after the klaxon sounded.
At around 4:26pm ET, Cromwell Police Department began receiving 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 at the scene to discover a tree had been struck with three people near the strike, Cromwell Fire Department said in a statement provided to DailyMail.com.
Two people were treated by emergency services at the scene before being transported to hospital. Another refused treatment.
Torrential rain, vivid lightning and strong winds ravaged TPC River Highlands as the golfers were forced to abandon play for almost three hours.
Overnight leader Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia had established a one-shot lead over the rest of the field after playing just six and seven holes of their third rounds respectively.
The PGA Tour stars, including the hunting pack of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, eventually managed to return to the course at 6:20pm ET in the hope of completing the full 18 holes in a race against the fading light.
It was the second time the tournament had been hit by storms. The Travelers had been forced into another three-hour delay the day before with new dad Scheffler, who admitted he spent the pause changing dirty diapers, among those who completed their second rounds in front of evacuated galleries in New England.
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