Rain Shortens Opening Round of 2018 NCAA Championship
Roughly half of the 217 contestants completed the first 18 holes before thunder and lightning suspended play at 4:30 p.m. at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Storms forced the suspension of Monday's opening round of the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships Tuesday. Roughly half of the 217 contestants completed the first 18 holes before thunder and lightning suspended play at 4:30 p.m. at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center.
The first round is slated to resume Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday's regularly scheduled second round begins at approximately 11:00 a.m. with a shotgun start on Grandover's East and West Courses.
Wittenberg, the defending National Champions, currently sit tied for 20th in the field of 42, as the Tigers' 7:20 A.M. tee-time allowed the team to complete their opening round.
The Tigers sit +15 as a team, with Ryan Mallette leading the way with an opening round of 72 (E). Cameron Willis finished +4 on the day after carding an opening round of 76.
Tournament co-host Guilford College and Emory University share the clubhouse lead after shooting matching scores of five-under-par 283 on the par-72, 6,780-yard West Course. Quakers' sophomore Zachary Evens tops the individual leaderboard after carding a four-under 68 under mostly overcast skies with light wind. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire senior Ryan Isaacson, one of seven individuals in the tournament, shares second place with Emory's Matt Organisak after both shot 69 (-3).
Guilford sophomore Kell Graham, Rosemont College's Michael Lange, and Transylvania University's Blake Young each shot two-under 70 Monday morning and share fourth place.
Washington and Lee University had the low score (292) among the 12 teams that completed morning rounds on the par-72, 7,150-yard West Course. Guilford and Emory were among the 12 squads to finish their first round on the East Course. There were 18 teams still on the course when the horn sounded.
At the conclusion of 36 holes, the 42-team field will be trimmed to 18, plus the top-five individuals not on one of the top-18 squads. The final 36 holes take place on the East Course and are slated for rounds on Thursday and Friday.
Guilford and the Greensboro Sports Commission have teamed up to co-host the Division III Men's Golf Championships at Grandover for the fourth time in eight years, most recently in 2015. Wittenberg University is the defending national champion. Guilford won the Division III crown in 2002 and 2005.