In a bizarre situation, the third round of the NCAA Division III women’s golf championship was canceled because of an unplayable hole.
The situation occurred on the 308-yard par-4 sixth hole at Mission Inn & Resort’s El Campeon Golf Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Numerous videos posted to social media showed the pin placement on a severe slope with putts coming up just short of the hole rolling back 10 to 15 feet, if not more.
More than half the field was completed with play before the cancellation, which came during a weather delay Thursday. Yet the NCAA determined the hole location was too severe to play.
Shameful what the women competing in this year’s NCAA Division 3 championship are dealing with today. Watch this video. pic.twitter.com/kSTzdrTsyB
— JG (@johngrahamgolf) May 11, 2023
Golf Channel reported the hole was cut on a 5 percent slope, and course staff even watered the course in an effort to soften the severity of the slope.
However, it was enough to cancel the round in its entirety.
What kind of experience is this for the players at the DIII National Championship. Do better NCAA. pic.twitter.com/JP9Fcx4jVg
— Centre Women’s Golf (@centre_wgolf) May 11, 2023
“The NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Committee has determined that round 3 will officially be canceled on the grounds of an unplayable hole for the entire tournament field,” an NCAA statement read. “As play continued throughout round 3 it became apparent that the pin placement on Hole 6 was too severe for play.”
With the third round canceled, the tournament is being reduced to 54 holes. A cut was also made to the top-15 teams, meaning 14 others were eliminated before the final round based on 36-hole scores. The NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Committee chose six individuals not on advancing teams to play in Friday’s final round.
George Fox sits at 45 over after 36 holes and owns a five-shot lead over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and nine over Pomona-Pitzer.
