HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The first round of the men’s NCAA Championship was delayed for a third time Friday afternoon because of inclement weather.
After a five-hour weather delay, players were on the course for nearly 90 minutes before the horn blew again. Half of the 30 teams have played at least one hole, while Texas, Texas A&M and USC are the furthest along, through 11 holes.
This has been a soggy, stop-and-start opening to the NCAAs at Prairie Dunes.
The first round of stroke play was supposed to begin at 7 a.m. local, but was pushed back 40 minutes because of lightning in the area. About 1.2 inches of rain fell during the five-hour suspension of play at Prairie Dunes.
The top three teams in the country (Alabama, Oklahoma State and Stanford) have yet to begin their opening round, and depending on the length of the most recent delay it is possible they won’t hit a shot on Day 1.
The 54-hole stroke-play qualifier is scheduled to run Friday through Sunday, then cut to the low eight teams for the match-play bracket. On Monday, the low 40 and ties will play in the fourth and final round to crown an individual champion.
On Tuesday, they will play the semifinals and quarterfinals, with the two-team finals on Wednesday. There will be live coverage on Golf Channel from 5-8 p.m. ET.
