My last post was nearly seven hours ago, but that time in between was well spent as I joined the maintenance team for their afternoon rounds and spent a few minutes studying the action around the fourth green, where the large tree branch that fell on a spectator and two Turner/CBS Sports employees Friday afternoon was being removed.
I do have some other things to get to, chief among them the fire that Lower Course superintendent Scott Bosetti and I put out near the second hole. But I'll get to those things tomorrow. For my last post tonight, I'll tell you what I know and what I've heard about the entire incident. First the basics, which I reported earlier: The branch from the red oak tree just off the fourth green -- which is the Lower Course's signature hole -- came down about 2:30 p.m., while Tiger Woods' group was on the hole. Media reports and witness accounts indicate that there may have been a few seconds of warning that the branch was about to come down, which helped prevent a more tragic situation. In the end, two of the three men injured were treated and released at the tournament medical area, while the third man was treated at a local hospital for a broken leg.
Why this branch came down is a mystery at this point. All trees on the Lower Course were carefully inspected by both Baltusrol and the PGA of America, and any trees and branches that posed even a slight risk of failure were removed. Winds were extremely low Friday, so it seems unlikely that weather was a factor. There was speculation about other possible causes of this accident, but the journalist in me isn't comfortable throwing those out there yet.
The tree is probably between 150 and 200 years old. Its prominent location on the Lower Course's signature hole had made it a favorite among club members, and there were several of them watching crews remove the tree.
As the photos in the "Friday photos" album demonstrate, I was able to get pretty good access to the area prior to the beginning of the removal process. That didn't last long, as the large trucks and the sound of chainsaws and a tree chipper brought curious fans and media alike from all over the course. Before too long, security was brought in to clear the area, and although Bosetti and Kuhns both OK'd my presence inside the ropes, I decided one less person in that area was better than one more, and I excused myself.
The first order of business for the crews from Tree-Tech was to lift the branch off the golf cart with the boom microphone so it could be moved. That took about 15-20 minutes, as a crew member tied a strap to the top of the branch and then attached that strap to a crane, which slowly lifted the branch. There were a large number of nervous Turner/CBS Sports on hand, worried about the microphone, and two of them quickly rushed in to move the golf car once the branch had been cleared.
Kuhns thought it would take several hours for crews to remove the entire tree, which was being done as a precautionary move. I'll try to sneak the camera into that area tomorrow to show you the aftermath.
And with that, I'm done for the day. See you tomorrow.
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