By Joel Beall
The Hawaiian swing is supposed to be a relaxed affair for PGA Tour players and their family. On Saturday morning, it was anything but.
Just after 8:00 a.m., those in the Aloha State received an emergency phone alert reading, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” A banner was also displayed on TV screens warning that a missile “May impact on land or sea within minutes.” Although a second message was sent out indicating the alert was a false alarm, there was a 38-minute gap between correspondence, an interval that spawned its share of panic.
An anxiety evidenced by many on social media, including tour players.
So…….this can’t be good. Everyone is freaking out in the hotel pic.twitter.com/NDkg8FxQLy
— Steve Wheatcroft (@wheatiePGA) January 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/JohnPetersonFW/status/952245991012409344
In a basement under hotel. Barely any service. Can you send confirmed message over radio or tv https://t.co/qHLeQSecnd
— JJ Spaun (@JJSpaun) January 13, 2018
Not your normal emergency warning. Really hope it’s just a drill pic.twitter.com/whSKtoI67M
— Seamus Power (@Power4Seamus) January 13, 2018
However, once word of the false alarm spread, a few were able to provide some levity.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd5oGgmn9t4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_ufi
https://twitter.com/JustinThomas34/status/952245322134114305
