Charlie Beljan's caddie has revealed that the 28-year-old thought the player was going to die during the second round action at the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic in Florida on Friday.

The American suffered shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate during play and was taken to hospital at the end of the day.

"I think he's scared," Rick Adcox told the Golf Channel. "He kept saying he thought he was going to die.

"I've got to give Charlie credit for what he did. I thought he was going to quit out there a few times. Unbelievable. A couple of times I thought he might pass out.

"He just said, 'I'm gonna keep going until I pass out or they take me off,' and I kept saying 'it doesn't matter to me, it's only a golf tournament'."

Beljan, who suffers from asthma, has a three-stroke lead in the competition after the second round.