MACON, Ga. — Six people were injured this weekend after lightning struck the East Lake Golf Course, near Atlanta, at the PGA Tour Championship.
One Macon man says he's lucky he wasn't one of them. He says it was only a matter of 30 seconds that put him and his son out of harm's way.
Bobby Gerhardt enjoys watching golf on the weekend.
"It's more of a laid back sport," he said.
His son helped get two tickets for them to watch the PGA Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, which got them a front-row seat to a reminder of what mother nature can do when lightning struck a tree during the middle of it.
"All of a sudden there was a bang, and I could see the smoke from the top of the tree and the wood burning," said Gerhardt.
He says he tried to help the people on the ground who were hurt, while his son took this video.
"They're all on the ground, because it knocked them down. It knocked that one guy out of the golf cart," said Gerhardt.
He says the scene gave him chills, because he had just walked by that tree about 30 seconds earlier.
"I have a great deal of respect for lighting right now. That's an experience I'll never forget and Mother Nature wins every time," said Gerhardt.
He says he spent his Sunday watching the game from the safety of his couch, so he could stay away from the crowds, the rain, and the lightning.
According to the National Weather Service, around 50 people die from being struck by lightning each year and hundreds more are injured.