Women’s Golf’s return to the Old Waverly ended with at least 75% of all teams down with illness that was confirmed by a coach, according to Golfweek. Another coach said the scale of teams affected may have been larger than a previous incident in 2018, even if individual cases were not necessarily as severe. The source remained unknown, and fears of it being contagious saw the event halted early.

The Ally, held at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi, was shut down Wednesday, October 7, before its final round could be played. At least 13 of the 17 teams in the field were experiencing symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting. Players and coaches were both affected. The tournament was declared official after 36 holes.

Mississippi State head coach Charlie Ewing, whose Bulldogs were hosting the event, explained the decision to Golfweek.

“We don’t know the source of the illness but we fear it may be contagious and that was the scariest part about playing the final round,” Ewing said.

It isn’t confirmed whether it was food-related, waterborne, or something else remained under investigation. The concern was not just about sick players competing through symptoms; it was about those still healthy potentially catching whatever had spread through the field.

Officials and coaches agreed that sending athletes onto the course under those conditions was not an option. Multiple coaches in the field confirmed to Golfweek they supported the cancellation.

With the final round actually being scrapped, Oklahoma State won the team title at five under par. Ole Miss finished five shots behind in second. Oklahoma State’s Louise Depadt claimed medalist honors, edging British Women’s Amateur champion Valentine Delon by a single stroke.

The 2018 NCAA Austin Regional provided the closest comparison in recent memory. A mysterious illness hit multiple teams during that event, with East Carolina left with only two available players for the second round. Several individuals were taken to the hospital by ambulance, per Golfweek’s original 2018 reporting.

That incident also left coaches and officials scrambling with limited information about the source of the sickness. The parallels with Wednesday’s events in Mississippi are notable: a spread across multiple teams, uncertainty about the cause, and a field-wide impact that made normal competition impossible.

College golf events typically run across multiple days on shared venues, with teams eating together, traveling together, and using the same facilities. That environment can accelerate the spread of a contagious illness, which is exactly what made Ewing and other coaches nervous about pushing ahead with the final round.

In 2024, there were similar incidents that happened at the LIV Golf tournament at El Camaleón Golf Course in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, that forced them to postpone. They faced an unexpected scare on February 2, 2024, after reports that illness had spread among players, caddies, and managers. Around 20 people were reportedly affected, with some reports suggesting that more than half of the field had been dealing with symptoms.

Also, the situation raised concerns that the opening round could be delayed. The Telegraph golf correspondent James Corrigan reported on February 2 that a large part of the LIV field had reportedly suffered from food poisoning and that the first round could be postponed. However, the tournament went ahead as planned that afternoon. LIV said there were no withdrawals and no plans to delay the start, while reports later indicated that players were feeling better and did not want the round postponed.

Old Waverly Golf Club is a private course in West Point, Mississippi, and a regular host of college golf events in the SEC region. The Ally is a women’s college golf invitational that draws programs from across the country. This week’s field included Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and 14 other programs.

Oklahoma State’s win continues a strong stretch for the Cowgirls program. Louise Depadt, who claimed medalist honors, is one of the program’s standout players heading into the 2026-27 season. Valentine Delon, who finished one shot behind, won the 2026 British Women’s Amateur Championship earlier this year, making her runner-up finish at The Ally a notable result in its own right despite the circumstances that ended the event.

The Ally’s cancellation joins a small but significant list of college golf tournaments that have been halted mid-competition for reasons beyond weather. Most cancellations in the sport involve lightning or unplayable course conditions. A mass illness affecting the majority of a field, players and coaches across 13 of 17 teams, is considerably rarer and considerably harder to manage in real time.

Health officials were not publicly confirmed to be investigating the incident as of the time of publication. Mississippi State and the tournament organizers had not yet released a statement identifying the source of the illness, and more details about the disease were awaited.