Weather delays present challenge at U.S. Amateur qualifier

Brisk walks between shots were a necessity Monday at a 36-hole qualifier at Stonewall for the U.S. Amateur, where two delays totaling nearly 2 ½ hours provided a challenge to get the entire field of 125 players to complete one round each at the club's North and Old courses.

The dwindling light was a challenge for players who had to go back out at 8 p.m. after the second delay, but Dylan Stein of Flemington, N.J., saw well enough to shoot a 2-under-par 68 on the Old course and emerge as the day's medalist at 2-under 138.

David Hicks of Cape May Court House, N.J., and Michael Graboyes of Watchung, N.J., grabbed two spots by checking in at 139, but there was not enough light to conduct a playoff for the last of the four available spots at stake.

Four contestants  —  Carter Thompson of Tallahassee, Fla., Ben Cooley of Rydal, Ryan Dornes of Lancaster, and Christian Sease of Mount Pleasant, S.C.  —  will return to the Old course Tuesday morning for that one invitation and first and second alternate. All four finished at 140.

The start of the competition was delayed 1 hour, 20 minutes to clean up the bunkers after overnight storms. The second stoppage took place at 6:59 p.m. because of lightning in the area, which was followed by some heavy rain.

It was a near sprint to get in after the second delay. The last group reported to the scoring area around 8:40 p.m.

Hicks, who will be entering his junior season at William and  Mary, shot a 3-under-par 67 on the North course to lead the morning phase of the competition but then had to play quickly down the stretch in the early evening to get in before the horn stopped play.

"I've really got to thank my playing competitors … they were like, 'We really don't want to go out tomorrow so let's just book it,'" Hicks said. "They were really great with that. I tried to take my time and missed a couple of putts but I was able to make a good one on 18, a 10-foot par putt, to finish."

Stein, 20, who is entering his junior season at Arizona, was on the 16^th green of the Old Course when play was stopped, then resumed play and went par-bogey-par.

"I was actually worried the most about how the greens would be," he said. "It did rain a little bit and I was worried if it was going to slow up or be more receptive. The course is unbelievable. It drained well and everything was great."

Graboyes, who is entering his senior season at Cornell, fired a 3-under 32 on his second nine of the afternoon to finish with a 70 at the Old course and avoid the playoff.