Among those 12 finishers, Uttdom Sowinkong of Wallingford, Conn., is the clubhouse leader after a 2-under 68 that included an eagle on the par-5 16th. Two other players, Ryan Pelletier and Drake Hull, had gotten to 3 under after 16 and 12 holes, respectively.
Matthew Paradis, a few weeks removed from winning the New Hampshire Amateur and just a day removed from qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, is also at 1 under through 15 holes. He has finished fourth and tied for second here the past two years.
Play was officially suspended for the day at 3:20 p.m. when tournament officials announced that heavy rains and forecasted continued rain had made the course unplayable.
The event, originally scheduled for 72 holes, will be reduced to 54 holes. Players who did not complete the first round on Tuesday will return to Portland Country Club on Wednesday morning. First-round play will resume at 7:30 a.m. The second round will start immediately after the completion of Round 1.
The schedule change turns the event into a real endurance event. Past champion Mark Plummer, who won the 1994 New England Amateur at Portland Country Club, recognized that.
“We’ll see if this 66-year-old body can handle it,” Plummer told the Portland Press Herald on Tuesday. “I’ll worry about that if it comes.”
The field will be reduced to the low 40 scorers after the second round.
Information from the New England Golf Association the Portland Press Herald used in this report