Tom McKibbin took a one-shot lead at the British Masters at The Belfry on Thursday before stormy weather suspended play on a severely disrupted opening day.
The Northern Irishman completed 13 holes in five under par before thunder and lightning brought a final stoppage at 7.11pm. England's Joe Dean and Spain's Nacho Elvira sit one stroke behind in second place.
McKibbin started his round from the 10th hole and made rapid progress across the back nine. He birdied the 15th, 17th, and 18th holes to turn in three under par, before gaining further shots at the first and third after the turn.
McKibbin, 23, is a professional golfer from Belfast who won his maiden DP World Tour title at the Porsche European Open in 2023. He currently competes on the LIV Golf circuit as part of Jon Rahm's Legion XIII team alongside England's Tyrrell Hatton. McKibbin and Hatton were only able to enter the tournament following the cancellation of LIV Golf's season-ending Team Championship event in Michigan.
Hatton was scheduled among Thursday's afternoon starters, but weather delays prevented him and half of the 156-player field from starting their rounds. None of the groups who did tee off managed to finish 18 holes.
Storm delays at The Belfry
Torrential rain and lightning repeatedly disrupted play throughout the day at the famous venue near Sutton Coldfield. The initial warning klaxon sounded at 7.32am, just two minutes after the opening shots were hit at 7.30am, causing a three-hour delay before play resumed at 10.32am.
A second suspension followed shortly after midday when heavy rain flooded greenside bunkers, keeping players off the course for four hours. Play restarted at 4.15pm, allowing early starters to reach the closing stages of their rounds before lightning forced the third and final stoppage of the evening.
The Belfry, situated in Warwickshire, is one of the most famous locations in British golf. The resort's flagship Brabazon course has hosted the Ryder Cup four times, in 1985, 1989, 1993, and 2002, more than any other golf course in the world. The Husqvarna British Masters is one of the premier tournaments on the DP World Tour, Europe's main professional golf circuit.
Ryder Cup qualification begins
The tournament marks the official start of the qualification process for the 2027 European Ryder Cup team. The 46th edition of the biennial match against the United States will take place at Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland.
European captain Luke Donald is competing in the field at The Belfry and stood at one under par through 14 holes when play ended. Donald, a former world number one who captained Europe to victory over the United States at Marco Simone in Rome in 2023, is assessing prospective players firsthand during the opening stretch of qualifying.
Second day schedule and forecast
Organisers face a significant backlog on Friday, with the halted first round scheduled to resume at 7.30am. Players who have yet to tee off will begin their opening rounds between 8.00am and 10.00am, while the second round will not start before 1.45pm at the earliest.
Further adverse weather is expected to hit the course on Friday afternoon. Tournament director Ben Groutage acknowledged the challenges ahead, stating: "We'll just see how far we can get tomorrow. We have some weather coming in again tomorrow afternoon. So, you know, we'll stay out there for as long as we can."
Television coverage of the Husqvarna British Masters continues live on Sky Sports Golf from 12.30pm on Friday as officials attempt to complete the opening two rounds.
