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Up in flames

The Open 2016: Sky Sports camera catches fire while suspended on wires above Royal Troon driving range

Coverage of the Open came to a blazing halt when equipment burst into flames as pros practised below

A SKY SPORTS camera suspended in the air catches fire as the world's top professionals practise below.

Sky Sports have gone all out in their first exclusive hosting of the Open.

But even they could not prepare for everything as a camera hoisted around 50ft in the air was set alight.

 The camera catches fire above the practise ground
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The camera catches fire above the practise groundCredit: Sky
 The flames from the camera lit up the grey skies around Royal Troon
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The flames from the camera lit up the grey skies around Royal Troon

It is thought the rain and wind at Royal Troon today could have contributed to the eye-catching malfunction.

Other Sky Sports cameras not on fire caught the action before returning to the on-course happenings.

There is another spider-cam located on the signature Postage Stamp hole at the far end of the course but that one withstood the weather well.

 No other cameras appeared to suffer the same effects as this one
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No other cameras appeared to suffer the same effects as this oneCredit: Sky

A bit like American Phil Mickelson, who followed up his record-breaking eight-under-par 63 with a 69 for a one-shot lead through two rounds.

The past six winners at Troon have been from the other side of the pond and Lefty reckons the golf gods who so cruelly denied him the lowest ever score in a Major will make amends by making him the seventh.

Swede Henrik Stenson currently occupies second, two shots ahead of Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen and America's Keegan Bradley.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the camera as a Spidercam, a trademarked name for a system that enables film and TV cameras to move vertically and horizontally over a predetermined area such as a cricket pitch, football field or a tennis court.

 

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