The final round of The Ally was canceled Wednesday due to a scary situation involving an unknown illness affecting most of the teams in the field.
At least 13 of the 17 teams were experiencing symptoms from diarrhea, vomiting and other issues. Players and coaches were affected, and the worry amongst coaches and officials was whatever the mystery illness was, it could be contagious.
"We don’t know the source of the illness but we fear it may be contagious and that was the scariest part about playing the final round," Mississippi State coach Charlie Ewing told Golfweek. The Bulldogs were tournament hosts at Old Waverly in West Point, Mississippi.
Coaches were worried about sick players trying to push through the final round and getting more sick or risking
those still healthy also catching symptoms.
Because the final round was canceled, the tournament was made official after 36 holes. Oklahoma State won the team title at 5 under with Ole Miss finishing five shots behind. OSU's Louise Depadt took home medalist honors, beating British Women's Amateur champion Valentine Delon by a shot.
This is not the first time something like this has happened. At the 2018 NCAA Austin Regional, an illness affected multiple coaches and players, with East Carolina having only two players available in the second round and others being taken to the hospital via ambulance.
Multiple coaches in the field this week at The Ally told Golfweek they agreed with the decision to cancel the final round. One coach estimated at least 75 percent of the field got sick. Another said they weren't sure it was as bad as the sicknesses were in Austin, even if there were more teams and individuals affected.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Mystery illness forces final round cancellation of college golf event in Mississippi
