Blimp crash halts golf final

The final round of the Palmetto Open was suspended for three hours on Sunday after the tournament's sponsor blimp lost altitude over the back nine and came to rest, softly and almost politely, on the 17th green.

Nobody was hurt. The blimp's two-person crew climbed out, apologised to the gallery and asked whether they could still get a sandwich from the hospitality tent. They could.

The descent

The airship, operated for Golden Pelican Holdings, had been circling the course since 9 a.m. carrying the message "GOLDEN PELICAN: PLAY WHERE THE PROS PLAY." Shortly after 2 p.m., it began to drift, then to sink, then, as one spectator put it, "to sit."

The leader, Tomas Reyes, was on the 17th fairway and watched the blimp settle between his ball and the hole. He asked a rules official for relief. The official consulted the rulebook, found nothing about airships, and ruled the blimp "a loose impediment, technically," which entitled Reyes to move it. He declined.

"I've had a sprinkler head, a goose and a drunk guy. This is the first time the sponsor has landed on me personally."

— Tomas Reyes, tournament leader

Three hours

The blimp was deflated on the green, folded by the grounds crew and dragged to the car park by a tractor usually used for the bunkers. The 17th green was declared "mostly fine" by the superintendent, who said the blimp "had been kind to it" and "left less of a mark than the members."

Play resumed at 5:15 p.m. Reyes parred the 17th from a drop, birdied the 18th and won by two. He thanked his caddie, his family and "the blimp, for being soft."

The sponsor

Golden Pelican Holdings said the airship had "a minor loss of lift" and that its message "was clearly visible throughout, including on the ground." The casino's shares, which rose last week on a rumor about its slot machines, were unaffected, as the LSX is closed on Sundays.

The blimp will be repaired and will return for next year's event, the sponsor says, "at a higher altitude, probably."