Daley & Sutherland lead with 63's

Joe Daley has been working on improving his putting and staying patient on the golf course. He was successful in both pursuits with an opening-round 63 at the $425,000 buy.com Utah Classic at Willow Creek Country Club.

Carding 10 birdies with only one bogey, Daley earned a share of the lead with David Sutherland in the suspended first round. Seven players are four shots off the pace.

A one-hour, 52-minute lightning delay prevented the completion of first-round play. The 31 players on the course when play was suspended will return at 9:30 EDT to finish the round, with the second round starting immediately after.

Playing conservatively on the 7,104-yard layout, Daley rarely hit driver, instead favoring irons and his 3-wood. Hitting every fairway, he was able to attack greens made soft by a light morning rain.

"On this course, I don't want to hit my driver. I am playing for position," he said after hitting 15 greens. "The trees and the rough are not the place to be on this course. I want to stay patient and execute my plan on how to play this course."

Besides staying patient, Daley has been concentrating on the speed of his putts. It paid off in the first round as he needed only 26 putts.

"The putts went in today," he said. "I have been working on the speed of my putts, and it worked today."

After starting the season by making only three cuts in nine tournaments, Daley has played on the weekend in his last eight starts. The stretch includes three top-10s, one of which was a second at the buy.com Knoxville Open, moving him to 36th on the money list.

Staying in the present, Daley only said, "The money list doesn't mean a thing until the last putt drops in the last tournament; that's when it counts."

Since quitting his job as credit manager in 1992 to pursue a golf career, he has played on the PGA Tourtwice to accompany four stints on the buy.com Tour. His best year was last season when he finished 23rd on the buy.com money list.

Sutherland, a PGA Tourmember who has not played this season because of shoulder surgery, made a successful return to competitive golf with nine birdies.

"I far exceeded my expectations," he said. "I was nervous, but it felt good. I am as competitive as anyone and would love to win this week. But if I could play four rounds and not have my shoulder hurt, I will take it."

Before attempting a return to the Tour, he elected to play in the buy.com Utah Classic to test the shoulder in a tournament environment.

"I would love to have shot 63 at a Tourevent, but this is in line to where I should be," Sutherland explained. "I would have put more pressure on myself if it was on Tour. It's a lot different than playing back home."

Among those still on the course when play was suspended, one player was at 3-under par.

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