PGA Tour Update: Cognizant Classic Round 1 Suspended as Darkness Halts Play

Feb 29, 2024 | 8:07 PM EST

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The first round of the Cognizant Classic was left in the lurch. PGA Tour Media Communications tweeted that round one at The Palm Beaches was suspended due to darkness. At that time, Rasmus Hojgaard, Robert McIntyre, two of the recent Tour card holders from the other side of the pond, and three others had one hole left to play.

“The first round will resume at 8:15 a.m. and the second round will begin as scheduled at 6:45 a.m,” PGA Tour Media Communication wrote on their X (formerly Twitter) handle. Cognizant Classic is the first event of the Tour’s Florida Swing.

The first round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches was suspended at 6:22 p.m. ET due to darkness.
The first round will resume at 8:15 a.m. and the second round will begin as scheduled at 6:45 a.m.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) February 29, 2024

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During the West Coast Swing, the Tour had to suspend rounds in multiple events most notably in the WM Phoenix Open. At TPC Scottsdale, weather played spoilsport as subsequent rounds were postponed to the next day. The final round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was also canceled due to bad weather.

Although there was no adverse weather playing spoilsport this time, the Tour decided to postpone the first round for low light. Among the five players left to complete their round, only Ben Silverman started on the back nine. Scoring was low on the first day at Cognizant Classic, as 27 players were within three shots of the lead.

Key highlights from the Cognizant Classic first-round

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There is a two-way tie at the top of the leaderboard after the first round. Chad Ramey, who missed the cut in his last two outings at the Cognizant Classic, shot 7-under 64 to take an early lead. Ramey went bogey-free, shooting seven birdies, five of which came on the front nine. S.H. Kim caught up with the leader, carding a bogey-free 7-under 64 with four birdies and an eagle to his name.

Eight players shot 65 or better in the first round. But Rory McIlroy, world no.2, and Chris Kirk, the defending champion weren’t one of them. On a day where scoring was low, McIlroy shot 4-under 67 to tie for the 16th spot. Starting on the back nine, the Ulsterman was 5-under through the 7th hole. But a late bogey on the par-4 8th moved him away from the top ten.

The four-time Major winner wasn’t too happy about that. “You’re not going to get this course much easier. Probably could have been a couple shots better, but still a decent start,” Rory McIlroy said after the first round.

Chris Kirk, too, shot 4-under 67 to tie with McIlroy. Kirk, who also started on the back nine, made a double bogey at the par-3 17th. Cognizant Classic was earlier known as the Honda Classic.

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