Rain delay halts Round 3 at Azalea Invitational

CHARLESTON, S.C. (March 23, 2013) -- A three-hour rain delay forced the top portion of the Azalea Invitational leaderboard to stop midway through the third round Saturday at The Country Club of Charleston.

Austin Langdale still holds the lead thanks to rounds of 66-69 during the first two days of play. The recent Clemson signee leads by two over Scott Harvey, a talented mid-am from North Carolina, who’s alone in second at 5-under after his Friday 67.

Will Long, another junior, is in third place after two-straight 69s to open the event.

Jim Liu, who fired a competitive course record 63 on Friday, remains in fourth place midway through the third round and hopes to make a move entering the final day of play Sunday, which will consist of the remainder of the 72-hole event.

The projected cut after three full rounds sits at 12-over par.

Among those that completed their rounds today, Kevin Marsh, a former U.S. Mid- Am champion, made a strong move. His 1- under 70 put him at 6-over for the week and in a position to get into the Top 20 with a strong final round.

Highly-ranked junior Tae Wan Lee shot an even-par 70 in his third round and he’s now 9-over for the week.

Being played for the 65th time, the Azalea is one of the season’s most prized tournaments. The prestigious event, held at a club that was first established in 1786, attracts one of the top fields in amateur golf. Past champions include Webb Simpson, D.J. Trahan and Smith, one of the top amateuris to ever play the game.

Amateurgolf.com will have continuing coverage of the Azalea Invitational, considered a ‘Major of amateurgolf.com’, throughout the weekend.