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Lee leads after 4 hour rain delay

Daren Lee of England fired a six-under-par 64 Thursday for a one-shot lead in the suspended first round of the French Open. Fellow Britons Jonathan Lomas and Warren Bennett share second place at five-under with Sweden's Anders Forsbrand.

The start of play Thursday was delayed four hours because of heavy rain that inundated the Sangliers course at Lyon Golf Club overnight. The layout, which is normally a par-72, was reduced to a par-70 when tournament organizers were forced to turn the waterlogged 571-yard, par-five fifth hole into a 177-yard par-three.

Lee's bogey-free round, the lowest of his career, began on the back nine with birdies at 10 and 11. He added a birdie at the 16th to make his way out in 33, then birdied three holes early on the front side, his last coming at the revamped fifth.

Lee, who missed the cut in last year's French Open, is known for never playing in practice rounds. Instead he walks the course prior to the start of an event to evaluate landing areas and the angles into the greens. He also brings along a wedge and putter to get a feel for how a course will set up for his short game.

"I think what I do is better than a practice round," said Lee, whose best finish on the European Tour was joint fifth at last year's BMW International Open. "I do more chipping, more putting. Get the lines off the tee, different lengths so I know exactly where I am going and draw every hole. It saves me energy. I can get here Tuesday lunchtime and can do the whole course in three or four hours. I prefer doing that."

Lomas, who last year finished second in this event to Colin Montgomerie, drained a 50-foot birdie putt at the eighth -- his second to last hole Thursday -- to cap his 65.

"I've been practicing hard," said Lomas, who notched his lone triumph at the Czech Open in 1996. "I suppose it comes along eventually."

Lomas birdied the 10th out of the gate but gave the shot back with a bogey at the 14th. He made the turn at three-under, however, posting a birdie at the 17th followed by an eagle at 18. His second nine included a birdie at the second and the long putt at eight.

Bennett, currently 20th on the Order of Merit with a runner-up finish behind Vijay Singh at the Singapore Masters in February, tallied five birdies over a seven-hole stretch in the middle of his round.

Forsbrand posted three birdies on each nine but dropped a shot at the first hole -- his 10th of the day. A six-time winner, the Swede is seeking his first victory since 1995.

Anders Hansen of Denmark, England's Andrew Marshall and Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal stand together two shots off the pace after 66s.

With a win this week, Olazabal would jump to sixth in the Ryder Cup standings. That would go a long way toward positioning the two-time Masters champion for an automatic berth on the team and allow European skipper Sam Torrance more flexibility when it comes to his two captain's picks.

"I know if I want to make the team, I have to do well in the tournaments I play in Europe," said Olazabal, who was a captain's choice in three of his six Ryder Cup appearances.

The first round is scheduled to be completed Friday prior to the start of round two.

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