Rigger moves two ahead

John Riegger completed a course-record 9-under 63 in the rain-delayed first round, then added a 69 in the second Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Paul Casey in the Honda Classic.

Riegger, who turned pro in 1985 but is still looking for his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour, was the clubhouse leader at 12 under when the second round was halted because of darkness.

``I'm playing well right now,'' said Riegger, winless in 115 tour events. ``I'm going to go out and try to continue to do the things I've been doing. They seem to be working pretty good right now.''

Only 52 players in the 144-man field finished 36 holes Friday. Eighteen golfers had yet to tee off in the second round, meaning the cut will not be made until Saturday.

The final round should be completed on time Sunday, tournament officials said.

More than 2 inches of rain fell on the TPC at Heron Bay on Thursday, leaving dozens of players with more than 18 holes to play Friday. The weather also left the course with soft greens that yielded several low scores.

Riegger made 12 birdies, three bogeys and an eagle in 33 holes Friday. Casey was 10 under after 14 holes when the round was suspended.

Joey Sindelar, looking for his first PGA Tour win since 1990, did not make a bogey in the first two rounds and was 9 under.

``I'm having feelings of a time warp here,'' said Sindelar, the 1988 Honda Classic champion. ``How many decades has it been since I've been at a Honda Classic press interview? It's been a while.''

Neal Lancaster, Mike Sposa and J.L. Lewis were 8 under, while nine others were five shots off the lead at 7 under.

Fred Couples was 6 under, John Daly was 5 under, and Davis Love III, Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson were 3 under.

Riegger had a chance to tie the tournament record of 62 in the first round but just missed a birdie putt on his final hole, the par-5 ninth.

``I knew I was playing well, I was holing some putts, but I wasn't thinking any particular number,'' Riegger said. ``Once I got it going, I was just trying to birdie every hole.''

Riegger's best tour finish was 12th in the 1993 St. Jude Classic. This is his fifth full season on tour.

He attributed his two strong rounds to a new preshot ritual.

The 38-year-old golfer from Las Vegas repeats a few phrases to himself as he prepares for every shot. Not wanting to disclose the exact language, he says they are words of encouragement that help him stay focused.

He began the routine two weeks ago after working with a sports psychologist, and it started to pay off Friday.

``Unlike a lot of players, I have problems early in the tournament,'' Riegger said. ``If I get myself in a position to do well, I usually do all right. It's just early in the tournament I have a hard time focusing. That'spretty much what I'm working on.''

Divots

Steve Flesch recorded the fifth hole-in-one in tournament history when he aced the 186-yard par-3 with a 5-iron. He was 3 under after the second round. ... Craig Barlow, who shot 2 over in the first round, withdrew beforethe second round.

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