First day of our club championship. 22 players, top 8 make it to the match play the next 3 days.

So the weather isn't great, and we get through about 11 holes, the rain comes down in buckets for about 10 minutes. We stand around another 20 waiting for the greens to drain. We then finish holes 12-14, and the rangers come around and tell us that they're only going to count the front 9 for the top 8 spots. At this point, it wasn't even raining anymore, and looked like it started to clear, which it did.

We sign our cards and hand them to the ranger.

While I made the top 8 (right on the number), I think it's BS. Word is a couple of the members came in from the course, said they didn't want to play anymore in the rain, and presured the pro into using the front 9. It wasn't lightning, just rain. It sucked, but it sucked for all of us. If you don't want to play in the rain, then IMO, it's a WD.

Unfortunately for the two guys I was playing with, they missed it by 1, and one of the guys was just +1 after the first 5 holes on the back.

You were correct in not being happy. The first part of your qualifying was stroke play. You were in the middle of a stipulated round for that competition:

33-1/2 Number of Holes of Stroke-Play Competition Reduced During the Competition

Q. A 72-hole stroke-play competition is scheduled over four consecutive days. Eighteen holes are to be played each day. On the third day, all competitors finish the first nine holes but a number of competitors are still playing the second nine holes. At that point, the course becomes unplayable due to heavy rain and play is suspended. The rain continues and it is impossible to resume play that day. What are the Committee’s options?

A. Under Rules 33-1 and 33-2d, the Committee has the following choices:

(a) resume play the next day and finish the third round, and then play the last 18 holes that day or on a subsequent day,

(b) cancel the third round, replay it on a subsequent day and then play the last 18 holes that day or on a subsequent day,

© reduce to three the number of rounds of the competition and finish the suspended third round on a subsequent day, or cancel the third round and replay it on a subsequent day, or

(d) cancel the third and fourth rounds and declare the leader after 36 holes to be the winner.

The third and fourth choices are undesirable. It is preferable not to reduce the number of rounds of a competition when the competition is in progress.

The Committee does not have the authority to reduce the number of holes of a stipulated round once play has commenced in that round.

I have never understood why some clubs determine their club champion through match play. I think it needs to be a 54 hole (minimum) stroke play event. That is what determines who the best golfer is. Match play to determine the club champion aka the best player in the club can have far too much luck involved.

And to get on topic - I think the wrong decision was made by cutting this short. But had it been a stroke play event in the first place they simply could have called it and had people start where they finished the prior round...

Hmmm, is there a rule or decision that might explain that?

Kevin