Alabama
NCAA Championships
No. 5 Alabama Battles Weather Conditions, Delays in Opening Round of 2018 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships
5/25/2018 10:30:00 PM | Men's Golf
Crimson Tide one of 15 teams who did not complete the opening round
STILLWATER, Okla. – The No. 5 Alabama men's golf team was one of 15 teams that did not finish the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Golf Championships on Friday. As a result, the field will conclude round one with a shotgun start at 7 a.m. CT on Saturday morning, with the Crimson Tide's second round beginning at 8:22 a.m. CT off Hole No. 10.
The story of Friday's first day was heavy rains and thunderstorms throughout the majority of the morning. Alabama was finally able to begin its round at 4:10 p.m. CT – nearly four hours after its originally scheduled 12:42 p.m. CT tee time.
"We just tried to keep our guys focused and create a plan during the delay," Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. "We went out and ate some lunch then came to the course early and allowed them to chip and putt a little bit before warm-ups just to get them out of the hotel.
"I thought our guys did a really good job," Seawell said. "The greens were really chewed up at the end with all the players that came before us and the rain we had. There are some things we have to do better – make a few more putts and get some birdies – but I'm fairly proud of how they did considering the conditions."
Wilson Furr was the first player off the tee for the Tide on Friday and got through 17 holes before darkness halted play. Alabama's last player to tee off, junior Davis Riley, completed 13 holes before his day was cut short. Senior Jonathan Hardee, who finished 15 holes on the day, is currently the only UA golfer below par (-1).
Northwestern shot an 8-under 280 on the first 18 holes at Karsten Creek Golf Club, a par 72, 7,460-yard track, surpassing the course's single-round record to take the clubhouse lead. The No. 33 Wildcats lead No. 29 Kent State (288) by eight strokes and No. 48 Iowa State (290) by 10 strokes.
After the completion of the opening round Saturday morning, the teams will return to the course for the second round. Following another stage of stroke play on Sunday, the field will be cut to 15 teams who will take part in a final round of stroke play that will determine the eight schools advancing to the match play portion of the event.
Live scoring for this year's tournament can be found at www.Golfstat.com.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaMGolf, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
