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The PGA Championship came to halt just before 6:30 p.m. ET and it's a good thing they blew the horn and cleared the course when they did because the storm that came destroyed temporary structures all over the course. The gusts topped over 50 miles per hour and trees, tents, and scoreboards started coming down quickly. The scoreboard that surrounds the putting green was one of the first things to go.
Giant scoreboard @PGAChampionship destroyed by violent storm at Whistling Straits @spann @weatherchannel @JimCantore pic.twitter.com/MVDvfJ0Vj2
— John Kucko (@john_kucko) August 14, 2015
One of the big scoreboards at Whistling Straits collapsed because of the storm. pic.twitter.com/2eSxe0KX9d
— Andrew Catalon (@AndrewCatalon) August 14, 2015
Golf Channel puts a substantial stage and mobile studio up at all these majors. It's a pretty sturdy structure with lots of technical equipment, but that was completely wiped out. Brandel Chamblee and Rich Lerner did their postgame show from a makeshift set on a couple folding chairs in the media center.
This is our stage after storm hit @PGAChampionship. Fortunately, no one was on stage at time. Everyone is safe. pic.twitter.com/CcpJHXOOe1
— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) August 15, 2015
The media center was still standing, fortunately, but as you can see from Ryan Ballengee, it was touch-and-go when the storm hit Whistling Straits.
It's kinda scary in here. pic.twitter.com/1UlLOpb3uq
— Ryan Ballengee (@RyanBallengee) August 14, 2015
Hopefully no one was in these when they toppled over doors down.
Encountered this scene in Whistling Straits media lot. I sure hope no one was in any of those. #pgachamp pic.twitter.com/EfrYrfN1EV
— T.J. Auclair (@tjauclair) August 15, 2015
This was the grandstand as the worst of the storm hit. The PGA made the wise move to get everyone off the course and out of harm's way. Despite all the damaged structures, there were no initial reports of injuries.
After the horn blew, the PGA did not take long to hold out hope for a resumption on Friday night. The announcement was made early in the evening that the second round would restart at 7 a.m. local (8 a.m. ET) on Saturday morning.