Monday finish awaits at Cognizant Classic after lengthy delay

The final round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches faced a significant delay on Sunday due to severe weather, resulting in a suspension lasting 3 hours and 28 minutes. Play was halted at 12:49 p.m. ET and resumed at 4:17 p.m. ET, but was eventually stopped for the evening at 6:23 p.m. due to darkness. As a result, the tournament will conclude with a Monday finish.

Austin Eckroat holds the overnight lead at 15 under through seven holes of Round 4, with Erik van Rooyen close behind at 14 under after carding a final-round 63. Jake Knapp, last week's winner at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, stands at 13 under with three holes to play.

Several players will resume their rounds on Monday at 12 under, including Billy Horschel (through 17), Alex Noren (through 12), and Shane Lowry (through five). Keith Mitchell finished at 12 under total.

During the suspension, maintenance and agronomy teams worked to prepare PGA National for the resumption of play, with casual water accumulating on some greens. Despite the delay, players like van Rooyen made significant progress, showcasing impressive performances during the shortened window of play on Sunday.

This Monday finish marks the first time since 2015 that the Cognizant Classic has required an additional day to complete the tournament. In the previous instance, Padraig Harrington emerged victorious over Daniel Berger in a playoff.