A lightning bolt struck a PGA Tour Championship golf course this weekend -- and it ended up hurting a number of people ... including one kid.

The scary moment happened Saturday afternoon at the East Lake golf Club in Atlanta, GA at 4:45 PM ET, when lightning struck a tree in the middle of the third round of the FedEx Cup Championship -- which was on a brief break amid stormy skies.

The lightning reportedly sent a bunch of debris flying, and that struck at least six people ... one of whom was reportedly a child. Nobody was hit by the thunder bolt itself, and thankfully ... no one is said to have suffered life-threatening injuries. Terrifying, nonetheless.

Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter to treat the victims, and the scene couldn't have been more chaotic with folks lying out, waiting for help ... and being carried away on stretchers. Eyewitnesses on the ground say the moment sounded like a bomb going off on the course ... and you can see why.

The moment the lightning hit the tree was captured on camera from afar, and even in the still images of the strike ... you can see sparks, if not outright fire, emitting from the tree. There are reports of the tree catching fire, but it must've been put out quickly.

April Ryan is going on TV this weekend to explain how and why a reporter was allegedly roughed up by her security this month, but we've learned she's denying responsibility.

Sources close to the White House correspondent and CNN contributor tell TMZ ... April insists that she did NOT give her security the go-ahead to remove, let alone get physical with, New Jersey reporter Charlie Kratovil a few weeks ago at an event she was speaking at.

Unfortunately, it appears that's exactly what went down ... and it got ugly fast.

On August 3, the New Brunswick Today journo told cops that April's bodyguard, Joel Morris, snatched his phone away from him while he was recording April's remarks at the Heldrich Hotel, and then twisted his wrist in an attempt to get him outta there.

April took to social media Saturday, teasing her appearance on CNN Sunday ... where she'll presumably tell her side of the story about the dust-up.

The whole thing was partially captured on Kratovil's smartphone camera, and you can hear what sounds like a physical confrontation. Before that though, you see Kratovil recording April come up to the podium -- where she's addressing some politicos -- but gets interrupted by Morris, whom we're told whispered to her, "Ms. Ryan, stop talking."

She does, giving him a head nod at the same time, and then stands up there silently while her guard walks over to the reporter. It's all downhill from there ... watch.

Our April sources tell us that the reason she stopped talking is because she and her team have a strict policy on people recording her speak in public, to avoid having her words taken out of context. We're told Kratovil was NOT pre-approved to film her here.

It should be noted -- in the police report filed by Kratovil, obtained by TMZ, he told cops he'd been invited to the event by a PR person who wasn't on hand to confirm or deny.

As for why she even has security with her in the first place, well ... she gave us the rundown on that back in November, after she'd received multiple threats on her life.

Anyway, our sources tell us April is doubling down on the fact she didn't sign off on how Kratovil was handled, as she's a huge advocate for First Amendment rights. BTW, Kratovil has a history of filming confrontational encounters for NBT ... it's kinda his thing.

Morris was ultimately booked for assault, harassment and theft, and he'll reportedly be arraigned next month. Either way, we're told he no longer works for April.

We've reached out to Charlie Kratovil for comment ... so far, no word back.

Desmond Howard learned a new rule in 2019 -- you can't quote Dave Chappelle as much as we used to ... especially on a Disney-owned network, at a Disney-owned park.

The former Heisman winner and NFL kick returner -- who's since become a TV analyst -- was on ESPN Saturday talkin' college football with Rece Davis and other broadcasters ... when he invoked a line from an old "Chappelle's Show" skit that caught immediate backlash.

The line -- in response to Rece asking if his alma mater, University of Michigan, could beat Ohio State -- went like this ... "Is Desmond Howard gonna have to choke a bitch?"

Funny, right? WRONG!!! At least that's what a ton of people watching had to say about it soon after. And, apparently, the ESPN honchos thought so too ... 'cause Des apologized.

He came back on the air later and flat-out said sorry if he offended anybody.

Des also tweeted about the incident, saying he didn't realize the joke was so obscure. Of course, he's referring to the line Wayne Brady dropped on a classic 'CS' episode, when he poses the same question to a prostitute during a 'Training Day'-esqe sketch.

Des later posted a clip that aired on ESPN in 2014, in which a commentator also made reference to the famous line. Problem is ... it's 2019, not 2014 -- and definitely not 2004. Also, Des works for ESPN (which Disney owns) and he said this at Disney World. Bad mix!!!

To make matters even more murky, Wayne Brady himself responded to the incident, showing support to Des and thanking him for the fandom. But, Wayne also said, "Choke who you wanna choke, have fun, and I'm a big fan of yours too." That raised eyebrows as well.

Sofia Richie is following up celebrating Kylie Jenner's epic birthday with one of her own -- and so far, she's off to a good start.

Lionel Richie's daughter -- who turned 21 Saturday -- was greeted with some new wheels on her driveway ... an Aston Martin and a Range Rover. Her boyfriend, Scott Disick, appeared to be responsible for the former, and Sofia made sure to shout him out on IG.

She captioned a vid on her Story, "Wow wow wow Best bf award." When filming her other new car, she wrote ... "New Range. Ok I'm good #21."

Looks like Sofia's birthday celebration was just getting started too -- 'cause shortly after receiving the whips, she drove herself to an airport runway ... where Kylie herself was waiting with a private jet. Seems like them and some friends are off on another adventure.

As you know, Sofia was just with a bunch of the Kardashians on a $250 million megayacht celebrating Kylie's birthday about a week ago on the high seas of Italy, where she and Scott got some QT in on a jet ski. Apparently, KJ and SR are great pals now.

When ya mess with bull, ya get the horns ... right in the balls.

That's the lesson decorated matador Paco Urena learned when he stepped into the Vista Alegre bullfighting arena this week at the Semana Grande Fair in Bilbao, Spain ... where he ended up with a crotch full of horn.

OLE!!!!!!

Unclear how badly Urena was injured in the incident -- but it seems like his man-junk survived because there are photos showing Paco proudly showing off the bull's ears as trophies.

As you probably know ... the bulls are mercilessly tortured and killed during the fights. As you can see, Urena was wielding a sword during the fight, with the intention of stabbing the bull through the heart so it can die fast. But, that rarely happens because the bull doesn't want to die!

So, what ends up happening is a bloody, painful, torturous exhibition in front of thousands of screaming blood-thirsty fans ... but hey, TRADITION RIGHT?!?

The Miley Cyrus/Liam Hemsworth divorce seems to have gotten more amicable ... Larry King's divorce -- not so much. So, we gotta ask ...

Dua Lipa is doing her post-birthday festivities right -- chillin' out in Malibu with her beau, Anwar Hadid, who's got a firm grip on things by land ... or by sea.

The pop star was getting active Friday -- a day after her 24th birthday -- with Anwar in the Pacific, where it looks like they might've been boogie boarding ... wearing wet suits and everything. Whether in or out of the water, the couple couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Especially Anwar -- he was holding on tight to Dua's head, hair, ass ... whatever he could grab hold of, really. He even gave her a little love tap after a steamy make-out sesh.

As we reported ... Dua and Anwar have been tight since at least last month, when they were spotted cozying up at the British Summer Time Hyde Park festival in the UK.

Before they went public with their relationship, we're told they'd been bonding over music ... which is what brought about a first date, then another ... and so on. It was looking like a long-distance relationship -- and so far, it seems like they've made it work across the pond.

Bradley Cooper is enjoying single-dad life -- just check out that stache! -- which means his daughter is absolutely enjoying dad-taking-me-to-Disneyland life!!!

The actor was out with 2-year-old, Lea, Friday at the Happiest Place on Earth, and the toddler brought that title to life with her grin as she and Brad went from ride to ride. Looks like he recruited other grown-ups for the trip too -- a possible nanny was tagging along.

No sign of Irina Shayk here though -- must not be her weekend with the kid.

Anyway, Lea tried her hand on a merry-go-round, the Story Book Land Canal Boats, Dumbo the Flying Elephant ... and, of course, a classic shoulder mount on pops himself.

Meanwhile, Brad and some of the adults he brought with him ended up park jumping at one point -- 'cause he was in the front car of the new Incredicoaster (formerly California Screamin') at California Adventure with a woman who was joining him and Lea for the day.

Lea's too small for that ride ... she  must've been hangin' at Pixar Park or something.

Kourtney Kardashian hit the town Friday night and ran smack into 2 of her exes, Younes Bendjima and Luka Sabbat ... and there were no visible hard feelings. In fact, everyone got along great.

Kourtney, Kylie and Kendall all showed up in WeHo at The Nice Guy to celebrate Daniel Chetrit's birthday ... he's the dude who's a DJ and co-hosts a podcast with Kendall.

Kacey Musgraves, Kyrie Irving, Ariel Winter, Ben Simmons and Devin Booker were also there to celebrate. BTW, Luka had reportedly hooked up with Kourtney a while back as well ... again, everything was cool Friday night.

Kourtney and Younes seem to be on-again, off-again since they started dating in 2016. They broke up last year, but have been seen together from time to time.

Todd Chrisley is in the crosshairs of the feds for allegedly extorting his daughter with a sex tape, but the big plot twist -- ex-'Bachelorette' contestant Robby Hayes claims to have damning evidence against Chrisley.

As you know, Lindsie Chrisley accused her estranged father and brother, Chase Chrisley, of extorting her. Robby is the other person with her on the alleged sex tape, and sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... he submitted a slew of evidence Thursday to the U.S. Attorney's Office. We're told he turned over text messages and other correspondence from Chase and believes they prove Todd's son -- and possibly Todd -- were coercing Lindsie and Robby.

Our sources say FBI agents now want to speak to the season 12 'Bachelorette' star. Robby tells TMZ ... he submitted an affidavit and answered all questions from federal prosecutors. He adds, "At this point, this is all frustrating and this sex tape situation has been held over my head before. Hopefully all wrongdoings come to light."

As we first reported ... Lindsie filed a police report earlier this month dropping the bombshell extortion claim against her family members. She claims they wanted her to lie under oath about her estranged parents' tax mess.

We're told Lindsie's team has also been in contact with the feds ... submitting their own evidence, including a 2-year-old tweet from Todd with the hashtag #thxgodforpuppycams. That's significant because Robby has publicly claimed, "We did not make a sex tape. I'm not sitting there with a camera ... like, we got caught on the security camera, basically. It was a puppy camera in her friend's living room."

However, our sources say the feds got a hold of the owner of that puppy cam ...who told them no tape exists.

Chase's rep says the same -- there is NO sex tape, and adds ... "Chase has never made any extortion threats to Robbie. Moreover, they are friends."

A spokesperson for Todd tells TMZ, the Chrisley patriarch will cooperate with the investigation and adds he has "nothing to hide."

Seventies and 80s hitmaker turned reality TV star Eddie Money is in the battle of his life ... TMZ's learned the rocker's been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer.

The "Take Me Home Tonight" singer makes the stunning revelation during season 2 of his reality show, "Real Money" ... according to sources connected to the show.

We're told Eddie got the dire news late last year, during a regularly scheduled checkup with his doctor.

The cancer started in Eddie's esophagus but, sadly, it spread to other parts of his body. You can see in this clip, he's determined to keep his loved ones in the loop as he deals with the diagnosis.

We're told Eddie didn't take a break from shooting his family's show after getting the news -- and he's continued touring almost nonstop while getting treatment.

You'll recall he was forced to take a break from the road for other health issues -- a minor heart valve procedure in May, and he caught pneumonia in July. We're told neither issue was related to the cancer.

Our sources say Eddie won't shy away from discussing his treatments while cameras are rolling for "Real Money."

Bella Thorne went in the drink with her Italian pop star boyfriend Benjamin Mascolo.

Bella and Benjamin have been on a romantic vacay in Sardinia, Italy, and each spent a considerable amount of time trying to resuscitated the other. Gotta say ... Benjamin's got some pretty cool ink.

They've been together since April, just days after Bella's split with Mod Sun. They have made it clear to anyone on social media who cares to look ... they're a couple.

BM's half of the duo Benji & Fede.

R. Kelly's desperate to retain the attorney who successfully defended Michael Jackson in his child molestation case ... so much so his team's hitting up anyone it can for financial help to pay what will become an enormous legal bill -- and it might be working.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kelly's industry contacts have been in touch with his team and expressed a desire to help with his legal fees.

We're told these people have agreed to anonymously help foot the bill so the singer can land attorney Tom Mesereau ... the guy who got MJ acquitted in 2005, the same year he got Robert Blake acquitted of murdering his wife.

Our sources say there's a big catch -- the money won't come in unless Kelly fires his current lawyer, Steven Greenberg ... so for now, it's all just verbal commitments. Greenberg, as we've told you, has called the whole situation "a complete load of crap."

Truth is ... Kelly will have to pull a Brinks truck up to Mesereau's office to land him. Just like in the New York federal case, the defense will require forensic experts, experts in sex trafficking, P.I.'s and on and on. That case alone will easily cost a million bucks to defend.

Of course, Kelly's also charged with various sex crimes in 3 other jurisdictions -- Illinois State, Illinois Federal and Minnesota State. We're hearing he might also face charges in Detroit and Atlanta.

Justin Gaethje says he wants to beat the dog snot out of Conor McGregor for sucker punching the guy in the bar, telling TMZ Sports he wants the fight, and it's personal.

On Thursday, Conor told ESPN's Ariel Helwani that he and Gaethje were lined up to fight in July ... before he broke his hand, torpedoing the match.

But, it ain't curtains on the fight just yet ... 'cause Gaethje joined the fellas on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) and says he badly wants to meet Conor in the Octagon ... and it ain't just for his sake.

"Of course I want to f**k him up. I see him punch an old man, do I want to punch him for that? F**k yeah, I want to f**k that dude up for s**t like that. He looks like a crackhead on your video."

We asked Gaethje if he's lost respect for Conor after seeing video of the bar attack.

"Absolutely. Who didn't? If you don't, then you're a piece of s**t yourself. C'mon. The lack of respect, lack of morals, whatever you wanna call it."

But, before any Conor superfight, Gaethje's gotta take care of business with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 158 on September 14.

"Hey I got f**king business in front of me, I got 'Cowboy.' And then I'm your huckleberry," Gaethje says ... "I'm right here, this s**t has to go forward, has to move on. He's either in or out."