Colin Green, 20, was injured as he played for North- amptonshire County Golf Club against Kingsthorpe Golf Club at Kingsthorpe, Northampton, on Sunday afternoon. His opponent was knocked unconscious by the strike and suffered minor injuries, while a third golfer suffered a perforated eardrum.

Club officials at Kingsthorpe said the accident happened when the golfers were sheltering from a storm under a tree.

Peter Walsh, the secretary of Northamptonshire County Golf Club, said: “Everybody’s quite a bit distraught here. Colin is a very good golfer and comes from a wonderful family.”

Mr Green, a former pupil at Northampton School For Boys, finished joint first in the Northamptonshire County Golf Club championships only a day before the accident.

He had been due to go into a play-off for the title on Monday night.

After the lightning strike, Mr Green was airlifted from the course to Northampton General Hospital for treatment and was later transferred to a specialist burns unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

His condition was said to be critical but stable, according to Mr Walsh.

The hospital said that it could not comment on the condition of patients.

Mr Walsh added: “We hope Colin gets better soon. We’ve been inundated with people ringing the club to find out how he is.

“We just hope he makes a speedy recovery.”

John Harris, secretary of Kingsthorpe Golf Club, said: “There was a lightning strike on the course, two players in a scratch match were sheltering under a tree, which we all know you shouldn’t do, but do anyway.

“Colin received the primary strike and his opponent, Simon Blundell, the secondary. He is now out of hospital.”

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