Tom McKibbin held a one-shot lead at the Husqvarna British Masters before play was suspended on an opening day at The Belfry already severely hampered by stormy weather. The first klaxon of the day for lightning came just two minutes after the opening tee shots had been hit at 7.30am, forcing an initial three-hour suspension. Play resumed at 10.32am before being stopped again just after midday due to flooded bunkers, keeping players off the course for a further four hours.
A final resumption at 4.15pm allowed the early groups to get deep into their back nines before the return of thunder and lightning saw play for the day end at 7.11pm. None of the groups out on the course had completed their first rounds, with half of the 156-player field yet to tee off at all. Northern Ireland's McKibbin had completed 13 holes in five-under par and led by one shot from England's Joe Dean and Spain's Nacho Elvira.
Starting from the 10th hole, McKibbin birdied the 15th, 17th and 18th holes before gaining further shots at the first and third. McKibbin, a one-time winner on the DP World Tour, is only playing in the tournament due to the cancellation of LIV Golf's Team Championship event in Michigan. The same is true of fellow LIV golfer and Legion XIII team-mate Tyrrell Hatton, who was due to be among Thursday's afternoon starters before the weather intervened.
The British Masters marks the first qualifying event for the 2027 European Ryder Cup team ahead of next year's event in Adare Manor. Captain Luke Donald is playing at The Belfry and was one-under through his 14 holes. After Thursday's stop-start play, the first round is due to resume at 7.30am on Friday.
The groups yet to get under way will tee off from 8am to 10am. "We'll just see how far we can get tomorrow," said tournament director Ben Groutage. "We have some weather coming in again tomorrow afternoon.
So, you know, we'll stay out there for as long as we can." Watch all four rounds of the Husqvarna British Masters exclusively live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Friday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
