Lightning causes delay, stoppage of play at PGA Tour’s 2023 Barbasol Championship
It happened, again.
As has become almost tradition in early July in Central Kentucky, the region’s annual professional golf event experienced a weather delay.
The 2023 edition of the Barbasol Championship entered into a weather delay Saturday morning because of lightning in the area.
At 9:05 a.m., the third round of the Barbasol was suspended.
Play resumed at 9:50 a.m.
The lightning was quickly followed by a deluge of rain on the Champions at Keene Trace course in Nicholasville.
This marked the first stoppage of play for the 2023 Barbasol Championship: The first and second rounds were played without interruption, despite the threat of rain and severe weather.
Because of the threat of inclement weather, the third round of the Barbasol featured tee times that were moved up to the early morning hours, as well as groupings of three players.
But the storms came quickly anyway: The group featuring tournament leader Lucas Glover was playing the par-3 No. 2 hole when the horn sounded to suspend play.
While rain showers passed through Nicholasville later in the day, the tournament stayed in action throughout the rest of Saturday.
Storms occurring during the four days of Barbasol competition in July have become a common event since the tournament moved to Nicholasville in 2018.
This included the 2018 Barbasol — the first to be played in Kentucky — which finished on a Monday after a thunderstorm suspended the fourth round on a Sunday.
Last year’s Barbasol Championship saw significant weather delays, starting with the second round of the event due to fog and storms on a Friday.
PGA Barbasol Championship
When: The last of four rounds is Sunday
Where: Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville (Champions Course)
TV: Golf Channel (4-7 p.m.)
Streaming: Peacock
Tickets: Visit BarbasolChampionship.com/Tickets
This story was originally published July 15, 2023 at 9:24 AM.
