Several spectators had a lucky escape on Friday as strong winds brought three trees crashing down during the second round of the 87th Masters.
Tournament officials confirmed that no injuries had been reported following the terrifying incident near the 17th tee at Augusta National.
“The safety and well-being of everyone attending the Masters tournament will always be the top priority of the club,” a statement read.
“We will continue to closely monitor weather today and through the tournament.”
The moment a tree fell on No. 17 at Augusta National. pic.twitter.com/43qilawab4
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) April 7, 2023
The incident occurred as play was suspended for the second time, an earlier stoppage having lasted just 21 minutes. No further play was possible and the second round was scheduled to resume at 0800 local time on Saturday.
Eyewitness Megan Hill told the Augusta Chronicle: “I was sitting, looking, waiting for the next group to come up to the tee and it fell maybe eight to 10 chairs to our left.
“I stood up and screamed and thought, ‘Is it going to fall on me?’ It fell to the left of us and it was so scary. If the wind had been blowing a slightly different direction, we might have got hit.”
Another spectator, Deshey Thomas, added: “Pinecones were hitting us in the back, we turned around and looked up and heard a huge cracking noise and the tree basically crushed 10 chairs that were sitting there.
“Luckily we got everyone out of there. We were blessed.”
