Stormy Weather Forces Cancellation of Final Round at 2016 US Disc Golf Championship

The 2016 US Disc Golf Championship (USDGC) was meant to be a thrilling conclusion to the inaugural Disc Golf World Tour. However, Mother Nature had other plans. A deluge of rain on Saturday turned the beautiful Winthrop University Gold course into a flooded and treacherous mess, forcing organizers to make an impossible decision.

After careful consideration, the USDGC staff decided to shorten the final round from 18 holes to just 17, with some modifications to pin and tee positions. But even that plan was doomed to fail as the rain continued to pour down and the wind began to howl. Branches started snapping off trees, and the course became increasingly unplayable.

The decision to delay the start of play by an hour was made in a last-ditch effort to salvage the day's events. But as the clock ticked away, it became clear that even more time wouldn't be enough to save the tournament. The conditions were now too hazardous for players and spectators alike.

According to Section 1.7 of the PDGA Competition Manual, if less than half of the field needs to complete a round to declare the event official, the tournament can be completed on the next day. Since the required number of holes had already been played (54 out of 72), the results were final as of the last completed round.

Jeremy Koling, who had taken a commanding four-stroke lead in Friday's third round, was declared the winner. Despite the unconventional circumstances, Koling's impressive play and dedication to his craft earned him the title of 2016 US Disc Golf Champion. His name will now be etched alongside other legends in the sport.

The cancellation of the final round was a difficult decision, but it was ultimately made for safety reasons. As Adrian Southern, representative from Innova Champion Discs, noted in an email to players, "Postponing the round would have caused many logistical problems...and rescheduling hotel and flight accommodations on such short notice would have been extremely challenging."

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/usdgc-cut-short-all-right-reasons