Eckroat on top as finish is delayed

Austin Eckroat was clinging to a one-shot lead when darkness halted play on the final round at the US PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic, which was headed for a Monday finish after thunderstorms stopped play for three-and-a-half hours.

Overnight co-leader Eckroat had back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth and was 15-under for the tournament through seven holes when darkness fell.

He and overnight co-leaders Shane Lowry of Ireland and David Skinns of England didn’t tee off until after the lengthy thunderstorm delay.

Eckroat called it “just a weird day.” “Mother Nature, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Eckroat said. “I almost didn’t think we were going to play at all today, so I kind of shut off for a little bit and then I had to get back into competitive mode.”

Lowry, the 2019 Open Champion, slipped down the leaderboard with a bogey at the fifth shortly before darkness halted play.

Skinns, chasing a first title at 42, had bogeys at the first and third.

South African Erik van Rooyen made a big charge before the storms struck, opening with birdies at his first six holes on the way to an eight-under par 63 that put him in the clubhouse on 14-under 270.

American Jake Knapp was 13-under with three to play and Keith Mitchell was in the clubhouse at 12-under after a finalround 65.

Van Rooyen was delighted to turn things around on Sunday after a third round that left him feeling “slightly crabby”.

“Feeley, my caddie, tells me ‘Bro, you don’t know what’s going to happen, you might birdie the first seven tomorrow,’ and we almost did that!” van Rooyen said.

Aussie Min Woo Lee was in a tie for 16th with nine holes still to play after a doublebogey on the fifth stilted any momentum from birdies on the two previous holes.