Coaches Slate "Ridiculous" Pin Placement As Scores Cancelled In Women's College Event
The NCAA was forced to cancel the third round of the Division III Women’s Golf Championship in Florida after one hole on the course was said to have been put in an “unplayable” position on the green.
Videos soon went viral of missed putts rolling all the way back down the slope at the sixth hole of the Campeon Course at Mission Inn and Resort where NCAA officials got a bit too cute with their pin placement.
The hole at times resembled one from a crazy golf course, with 10-foot putts regularly rolling right back to the feet of the players even when going a foot or so beyond the cup.
Most of the 151 players in the field had complete their third rounds when bad weather stopped play, but after being made aware of the problems, the NCAA then erased all the scores from the round and shortened the tournament to 54 holes.
Goal coaches were furious as they vented their anger to the Golf Channel, with one labelling the hole as “ridiculous” while another said one of only two birdies putts they saw made there all day “would've gone 25 yards off the green if it didn't go in."
“They should’ve known not to put [the pin] there,” said another coach, with the NCAA well aware of the course with it having played host to the championship on seven previous occasions.
Unsurprisingly, the sixth hole was the toughest on the course when playing over a shot and a half over par – and it led to drastic action from the organisers.
"Throughout Round 3 on Thursday, and despite efforts to improve conditions, it became apparent that the pin placement on hole No. 6 was unplayable," the NCAA committee said in statement to GolfChannel.com.
Round 3 of the NCAA D3 Women’s Golf Championship was canceled (with nearly 60% of the field finished) because of this hole location, which the NCAA deemed “unplayable.”Story: https://t.co/lJdUMFYQDc pic.twitter.com/rrsZg2ySISMay 12, 2023
"After play was suspended due to lightning late Thursday afternoon, the committee analyzed numerous different options on how to complete the tournament in the time allotted."
Scores all reverted to where they were after 36 holes, with a cut made, and the tournament shortened to 54 holes with more bad weather due in the area.
This isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened in women's golf, with a Girls 3A State Golf Tournament in Iowa last May seeing similar scenes from a poorly placed pin.
