Nick Price leads with 66

With players' thoughts still focused on last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, South African Nick Price moved to the top of the leaderboard in the first round of the Pennsylvania Classic.

The 44-year-old Price, who has not won since 1998, carded a 6-under 66 on Thursday at the rain-soaked Laurel Valley Golf Club to open a one-shot lead over rookie Per-Ulrik Johansson of Sweden.

After his round, Price spoke of the patriotic fervor that has gripped the country.

"One of the things I've always admired is in times of stress or in times of need, how patriotic you Americans are," said Price, who has lived in the United States for 21 years. "It's something you should be very proud of. It's a very special thing."

A four-hour delay due to heavy rain forced the cancellation of the PGA Tour's mid-round ceremony to remember those affected by last week's attacks. Play finally resumed at 1:30 p.m. EDT and was suspended for the day at 7:16 p.m. with 77 players still on the course.

The PGA Tour had planned on halting play for some five minutes at noon.

"I think maybe they should do it tomorrow or on one of the other days," Price said. "Maybe Saturday or Sunday, just stop play and do it."

The Pennsylvania Classic is the first PGA Tour event since hijackers crashed planes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon just outside Washington on September 11.

After passengers reportedly overpowered hijackers, another plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, which is just a 40-minute drive from Laurel Valley Golf Club.

As a result of the attacks, more than 5,400 people have been declared dead or missing.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Thursday's gesture was "to pay tribute to the victims, the families of the victims and the great bravery that was displayed in the aftermath of the disasters."

PGA Tour players are back on the course for the first time since two events were canceled in St. Louis and Tampa, Florida last week, when several players were going through the motions at the driving range.

Charles Howell, who has more than $1 million this year as an unofficial member of the PGA Tour, is at 4-under, one stroke ahead of six players, including defending champion Chris DiMarco.

"There's a little bit more sense of normalcy happening than there was last week," DiMarco said. "I think last week, it was just such a shock."

However, Howell's thoughts were elsewhere. He was in Tampa, Florida at the time of the attacks and drove 21 hours to his home in Oklahoma.

"It didn't feel like a golf tournament at all today," he said. "You know, it's funny because you go home and for the last week and half now, you turn on the television and all you see is more news. It's like watching a war on live television."

Price has four top-10 finishes this year and ranks 46th on the money list with $965,047. His best performance was a tie for third at the Byron Nelson Classic in May, but he has placed no better than 21st in his last six starts.

Price got off to a fast start Thursday, recording five birdies on the front nine, including three in a row on Nos. 6-8, to make the turn at 5-under.

He got to 8-under with birdies on Nos. 11, 12 and 14 before bogeying two of the final four holes. Even so, the round was Price's second-best of the year, topped only by the 65 he shot in the final round of the Phoenix Open.

"When you get to 44, there's not much to look forward to in golf, except the Senior Tour," Price said. "But I'm looking forward to playing now."

At 22, Howell, who won the NCAA national championship last year at Oklahoma State, is young enough to be Price's son.

"I've idolized Nick Price since I was 7 years old," Howell said. "I still wish I had his golf swing. It's absolutely perfect."

The 34-year-old Johansson is in his first year on the tour after gaining his card at Qualifying School last fall. He is a five-time winner in Europe and his best finish on American soil was a tie for eighth at the 1996 PGA Championship.

Johansson, who had laser eye surgery in May, also recorded five birdies on the front and eight for the round, but a double-bogey on the par-5 third hole cost him the lead.

"My caddie told me to forget about and go on and I had a good finish," he said.

Howell, who lost a playoff to Japan's Shigeki Maruyama at the Greater Milwaukee Open in July, recorded five birdies and his only bogey on No. 15.

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