Scary scene as trees fall at Masters near patrons just before weather delay

Three trees fell near patrons at the 17th tee during second round play at the Masters on Friday.

The trees came crashing down due to wind around 4:20 p.m., shortly before the tournament was suspended because of weather concerns around Augusta National Golf Club.

The club confirmed in a statement at 5:45 p.m. that there were no injuries and that the second round had been suspended until Saturday morning at 8 a.m.

“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,” patron Megan Hill of Manhattan, New York told the Augusta Chronicle. “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.”

No players were on the tee box when the tree fell, but the second round grouping of Larry Mize, Min Woo Lee and Harrison Crowe was on the 16th green, less than 100 yards away.

Thirteen groups have yet to complete their second rounds at Augusta National.

Winds were gusting to near 30 mph Friday afternoon as a front moved through the area and brought colder temperatures.

Second-round play has been paused twice on Friday due to weather. The first delay lasted just 21 minutes and was the shortest in Masters history. The second delay was made official at 4:22 p.m. and was ongoing until play was suspended.

There is also expected to be rain in the forecast on Saturday. The current forecast projects a 100% chance of precipitation and temperatures only reaching a high of near 51 degrees, per the National Weather Service.