An Unplayable Hole Location Caused Chaos And a Canceled Round at D-III Women’s Golf Championship

Carnage unfolded at the D-III Women’s Golf Championship on Thursday, but it wasn’t thunderstorms or unruly winds that caused the madness. It was a diabolical pin location that the NCAA deemed “unplayable” in the midst of the tournament’s third round, causing Thursday’s scores to be scrapped from the championship. 

The season-ending event, which is being played at Mission Inn and Resorts’ El Campeon Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. got underway on Tuesday. It wasn’t until Round 3, however, on the par-4 sixth hole, that things got out of control. 

Videos began circulating on social media of players putting to a seemingly illegal pin location, which was placed directly on a steep ridge running through the green. 

Players watched in disbelief as their well-judged putts rolled back to their feet—repeatedly. 

About 60% of the way through the third round, the NCAA, which is responsible for the tournament’s pin locations, determined the conditions on No. 6 “unplayable,” and decided to shorten the championship for 72 to 54 holes. 

Some teams had completed the entirety of their third rounds, while others only finished 7 holes. 

“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. As play continued throughout round 3 it became apparent that the pin placement on Hole 6 was too severe for play,” the NCAA wrote in an email to coaches. 

“With this decision being made, we will now conclude the championship as a 54-hole tournament with the final round being seeded off of the completion of round 2. The top-15 seeded teams will advance to the final round, as well as the top-12 individuals not on one of those 15 teams. Please note the committee elected to advance six additional individuals to the final round.” 

According to a member of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team, it had been communicated to players that the NCAA moved the pin location on Hole 6 to avoid old cup marks on another portion of the green. 

Thunderstorms did cause a suspension of play on Thursday afternoon, but had no impact on the cancellation of the third round. 

The final day of the championship commenced on Friday morning.