Sutton Coldfield (England), August 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian golfers Shubhankar Sharma and Yuvraj Sandhu were unable to begin their opening rounds at the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo after persistent rain and thunderstorms disrupted play at The Belfry near Sutton Coldfield.
Repeated weather interruptions meant neither Sharma nor Sandhu could tee off before fading light brought an early end to the opening day. Several other players were also unable to start their rounds.
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin emerged as the early leader, reaching five-under par through 13 holes before another storm forced play to be suspended.
McKibbin, among the first players to tee off, began at even par through his opening two holes before the second weather delay. After play resumed, the 23-year-old surged up the leaderboard with birdies at the par-five 15th and 17th, followed by a long putt for another birdie at the 18th.
He continued his impressive run with a precise approach on the first hole to set up another birdie before gaining another shot at the par-five third.
England’s Joe Dean and Spain’s Nacho Elvira were one shot behind at four-under, although neither had completed 18 holes. Dean had played 13 holes, while Elvira had completed 12.
South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli, Italy’s Francesco Laporta, Finland’s Oliver Lindell, France’s Antoine Rozner, Germany’s Marcel Schneider and American Johannes Veerman were tied at three-under.
The tournament was disrupted almost immediately, with the first suspension coming just two minutes after the opening tee shots. Players managed only 94 minutes of action before flooded bunkers forced another stoppage that lasted four hours and 10 minutes.
Play is expected to resume as weather conditions permit, with Sharma and Sandhu still awaiting their first shots of the tournament.
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