Tyler staying; Rain stops Ozark Shootout

Tyler Hansbrough announced today that he will be back at North Carolina next season instead of leaving school early for the NBA Draft.

Teammates Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington will enter the draft but will not hire agents, leaving the door open for their return next season.

"I love playing at North Carolina and still have big dreams to realize here, including graduating,'' Hansbrough said in a prepared statement. "Of course I look forward to playing in the NBA some day but not next year. I love my collegiate experience and want to finish my four years here, then move on to my next dream of playing in the NBA. I am very relieved that this decision is behind us and I can concentrate on my academic work and improving my game for next season."

Also, Ben Hansbrough has a visit to Notre Dame this weekend.

Meanwhile at Westwood Hills Country Club, the Ozark Shootout was stopped after two holes by rain and lightning.

Tournament director Tom Hoover said the top eight scores for the two-day Ozark Invitational will determine the Shootout prizes.

The 62nd Invitational will start at 8 a.m. Saturday and finish up Sunday.

There has only been two tournaments -- 1950 and 1995 -- that were not the full 36 holes. The forecast calls for a sunny day Saturday with a 50 percent chance of rain Sunday.

There will be a field of 120 players but the two-time defending champion John Kelly is not back because he's now playing on the Hooters Tour.

I hope to have updates Saturday afternoon depending on if I can get online at the clubhouse. If not, I'll post the scores here Saturday night and update Sunday night.