Weather forces one NCAA women's regional to start early

NCAA Division I women’s golf regional play will start a day early at one of six sites across the country.

With thunderstorms forecasted in Lubbock, Texas, on Monday, the first round of that 12-team regional will begin on Sunday.

One to two inches of rain are expected in addition to the severe weather on Monday, though conditions are supposed to improve after that. While Sunday’s forecast is dry for much of the day, there will be high winds, from 20 to 30 mph with higher gusts possible.

Play cannot extend past Wednesday evening.

Four years ago, the women’s regional in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was controversially scrapped because of heavy rains and unsuitable course conditions, forcing the NCAA to advance teams based on seeding.

Texas is the top seed in the Lubbock Regional, followed by Wake Forest, Arizona, Texas A&M and Iowa State.