Golf Pro Apparently Struck, Killed By Falling Tree At Massachusetts Country Club

GREAT BARRINGTON (CBS/AP) — A golf pro at a Massachusetts country club died apparently when a tree fell on his golf cart as violent thunderstorms with high winds moved through the region, police said.

Thomas Sullivan, the pro at Wyantenuck Country Club, was found on the ground next to the cart at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to a Facebook post by Great Barrington police. The cart was covered with trees and branches.

Responding officers tried first aid but Sullivan could not be revived, police said.

Police responded to the country club after getting a call from a neighbor reporting a golf cart with a tree on top of it on a dirt access road alongside the course, police said.

Sullivan, 71, of Sheffield, had spent two decades at Wyantenuck, according to The Berkshire Eagle. He was inducted into the Northeast New York PGA Hall of Fame in 2018.

"Tom will be sorely missed by the staff and members of Wyantenuck as well as those beyond Wyantenuck who sought his legendary golf lessons," the club said. He is survived by his wife and two children.

A GoFundMe page has been created to assist Tom's wife, Kathy, and their children, Sarah and Ryan.

"Today we send our condolences to the Wyantenuck Country Club family on the passing of head golf professional, Thomas Sullivan," Mass Golf said in a statement. "Please join the Mass Golf family in taking a moment to celebrate his life and his commitment to the game of golf."

The investigation is ongoing.

The Wednesday evening storms knocked out power to a peak of about 240,000 electric customers in the state, according to the state Emergency Management Agency.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)