Lightning Strike Injures Fans, Causes Suspension of Play at Tour Championship

Lightning Strike Injures Fans, Causes Suspension of Play at Tour Championship article feature image
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Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: A view of a leader board announcing that play has been suspended at East Lake Golf Club.

  • The third round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club has been suspended due to a lightning strike that injured several fans in attendance.

ATLANTA — Exactly 28 minutes after the third round of the Tour Championship was suspended due to an impending storm, lightning struck a tree between East Lake Golf Club’s 15th green and 16th tee.

According to a PGA Tour statement, four spectators were injured by debris from the strike and six were transported to a nearby hospital for further medical attention.

“Their injuries do not appear to be life-threatening,” the statement read.

Emergency medical technicians tended to these fans on the scene, while echoes of ambulance sirens reverberated from all directions in the minutes afterward.

Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Fans are assisted by medical personnel after a lightning strike at East Lake Golf Club.

The third round was officially postponed for the remainder of the day and will be continued beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday, followed immediately by the final round.

That means the current leaders will be playing a total of 31 holes in the race for the $15 million first-place prize awarded to the winner of this tournament, which will also be the FedEx Cup champion.

After entering the week with a two-stroke advantage, Justin Thomas currently leads by one over Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka, with Xander Schauffele one stroke further back.

Prior to the delay, East Lake was showing its teeth Saturday, as only nine competitors in the 30-man field were under par for the round.

The last two groups of Thomas/Koepka (final pairing) and McIlroy/Schauffele (penultimate pairing) had played a combined 20 holes in 4-over, without a single birdie between them.

Sunday’s forecast for the area calls for the potential of more thunderstorms in the area.

Updated 2019 Tour Championship & FedEx Cup Odds

Odds via Westgate as of Saturday afternoon

Rory McIlroy 9-4
Justin Thomas 9-4
Brooks Koepka 11-4
Xander Schauffele 13-2
Paul Casey 20-1
Chez Reavie 30-1
Patrick Reed 50-1
Patrick Cantlay 150-1
Jon Rahm 150-1
Adam Scott 200-1
Gary Woodland 200-1
Matt Kuchar 300-1
Hideki Matsuyama 300-1
Tony Finau 300-1
Kevin Kisner 500-1
Bryson DeChambeau 500-1

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