Earthquake And Lightning Stops Play At Indonesian Masters

Play at the Indonesian Masters was suspended for the day on Saturday, with the threat of lightning a persistent pain throughout the afternoon of the third round. Not only was there a threat of lightning but, not long after play was suspended, a magnitude earthquake registering 6.4 hit West Java.

In a tweet by Lee Westwood, the 49-year-old wrote "Ok. We just had an earthquake. @IndoMasters #jakarta @asiantourgolf", with it being reported by Reuters that "A magnitude 6.4 quake hit Indonesia's West Java area on Saturday at a depth of 118 km (73 miles), sending people running out of buildings, the country's geophysics agency BMKG said."

It is reported that the quake had no tsunami potential and was felt in the capital Jakarta, over 280 km (175 miles) from the epicentre. The event is being played at Royale Jakarta Golf Club, which is not far from the centre of the capital. There were no immediate reports of damage.

Before play was suspended, Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut had moved to the top of the leaderboard on 15 under, with the 24-year-old completing 14 holes before lightning stopped play for the day at 3.09pm local time.

Suwannarut's fellow countryman, Kosuke Hamamoto, sits two behind with three holes left to complete, while LIV golfer, Graeme McDowell, is three back with two remaining.

Organisers are hoping that play will get underway on Sunday morning at 6.45am, with the Asian Tour's Order of Merit to be decided, as well as the International Series' Order of Merit.

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