MIAMI - A fatal shooting that left two people dead prompted tournament organisers to delay the entry of fans at the Players Championship ahead of the third round on March 14.

St John County Sheriff’s Office in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, said two people were shot and killed in a shooting that occurred late on March 13 about 1.5km from TPC Sawgrass.

The suspect in the slayings subsequently fled on to the golf course before being arrested early on March 14 in Nassau County, roughly 50km north of the tournament site.

Sheriff Robert Hardwick identified the alleged gunman as 32-year-old Christian Barrios, and revealed that he had been in “contact” with TPC Sawgrass employees as he fled the crime scene.

“He picked up - we believe it was a radio that belonged to the PGA Tour, not one of our radios and we know he dropped it after that,” Hardwick told a press briefing.

“Our canines used it as a scent when they came in there,” Hardwick added.

The drama prompted tournament organisers to delay the entrance of fans to the course by 90 minutes early on March 14 due to “operational considerations” but the third round teed off on time.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg led the tournament by two strokes heading into the March 14 third round. AFP