Play was suspended during the second round of the 87th Masters on Friday after two pine trees fell near the 17th tee at Augusta National.
Host broadcaster ESPN reported that no spectators had been injured after strong winds brought the trees crashing to the ground.
Eyewitness Megan Hill told the Augusta Chronicle: "I was sitting, looking, waiting for the next group to come up to the tee and it fell maybe eight to 10 chairs to our left.
"I stood up and screamed and thought, 'Is it going to fall on me? It fell to the left of us and it was so scary. If the wind had been blowing a slightly different direction, we might have got hit."
Another spectator, Deshey Thomas, added: "Pinecones were hitting us in the back, we turned around and looked up and heard a huge cracking noise and the tree basically crushed 10 chairs that were sitting there.
"Luckily we got everyone out of there. We were blessed."
#themasters pic.twitter.com/QI16LEw3hQ
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 7, 2023
An earlier suspension of play had lasted just 21 minutes. A further 54 minutes of play was possible before it was halted and players and spectators evacuated from the course.
The majority of the early starters managed to get their second set of 18 holes in, with leader Brooks Koepka adding a tidy 67 to his opening 65 to hold a commanding lead going into the weekend.
Rory McIlroy's Masters dream turned into a nightmare when he shot a five-over 77 to miss the cut, which looks like landing around two-over par although the weather will play a big part in deciding who gets to stick around for what promises to be a very long Easter weekend.
