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Three 100ft pine trees fall into crowd of fans at Masters Tournament in Georgia, no injuries reported

Television footage of the terrifying moment showed frightened spectators running for cover as they take shelter near the 17th tree

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA: Three 100ft pine trees fell during Masters Tournament as electrical storms swept through Augusta National on Friday afternoon, April 7. No injuries were recorded while the second round of the tournament ground was put to a halt as play stopped for the day. Television footage of the terrifying moment showed frightened spectators running for cover as they take shelter near the 17th tree. 

The clip captured the towering pine trees plunging to the ground, leaving a loud explosive sound when they landed. It reportedly fell next to the 16th which was played by Sergio Garcia, Kazuki Higa, and Keith Mitchell. The commentators were also left stunned as the horrifying incident unfolded. Another video clip showed a patron on the floor amid other disturbing scenes. However, the officials were quick to confirm that nobody was injured. The statement was backed up by the witnesses who insisted that the tragedy was prevented.

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'Is it going to fall on me?'

Manhattan resident Megan Hill, who was close to the incident, recounted it to local media. "I was sitting, looking, waiting for the next group to come up to the tee and it fell maybe 8-10 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," she said, as per the Daily Mail. Another spectator, Deshey Thomas, from North Carolina, 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."

Play was called off after 90 minutes of the Klaxon

At the sight of the incident, the television commentary team can be heard shouting: "Ooh good gracious, watch out! Oh my god, I hope everyone is okay. Holy smokes." Shortly after, a loud electronic warning horn was sounded and the course was evacuated. A number of players, including second-placed Spaniard Jon Rahm and Tiger Woods, who was competing to avoid getting eliminated, were out at the time during the second round of the prestigious tournament in Augusta, Georgia. The play was announced to be called off for the day after 90 minutes of the klaxon. Soon, officials arrived at the scene as they sought to remove the trees with saws. 

Play was halted earlier for 21 minutes

The play was halted earlier in the day as a storm rolled through the area. However, as the wind was not too strong, the play continued after 21 minutes. "Augusta National Golf Club can confirm that no injuries were reported from three trees that were blown over to the left of the number 17 tree due to wind. The safety and well-being of everyone attending the Masters' Tournament will always be the top priority of the club. We will continue to closely monitor the weather today and through the tournament. The second round has been officially suspended for the rest of the day. Play will resume Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m," a spokesperson for the course said, as per the media outlet.