Weir & Wetterich tied for lead

The greens were soft, the palm trees were steady and the TPC at Heron Bay was perfect for scoring Saturday.

Mike Weir and Brett Wetterich were tied for the lead at 14 under when the third round of the Honda Classic was halted because of darkness. Weir completed 10 holes and Wetterich 11.

``You have to make birdies or you're going to get lapped,'' said Weir, the left-hander from Canada who has one PGA Tour victory in each of the last three years.

Twenty-five others, including Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson, were within four strokes of the lead.

``The winner may be outside of four shots,'' said Matt Kuchar, who shot a third-round 66 to move to 13 under. ``Everybody is in contention. A lot of people will have a chance.''

Play will resume Sunday morning, and the final round will start shortly after the third round is completed.

Heavy rain fell on the course Thursday, leaving dozens of players with more than 18 holes to play Friday and Saturday.

The weather also left the course with soft greens that yielded several low scores. Scoring was made even easier Saturday when Heron Bay's lone defender -- strong, steady wind -- took a day off.

Only five of 71 players were over par in the third round when it was suspended at 6:30 p.m. EST.

``The course is there to be had with these conditions,'' Kuchar said.

Second-round leader John Riegger, rookie Stephen Gangluff and 1988 Honda Classic champion Joey Sindelar were tied with Kuchar at 13 under.

Kuchar and Gangluff (65) were among the 21 golfers who completed the third round.

Kuchar, the 1997 U.S. Amateur champion, holed out a bunker shot for birdie on No. 8, then ran to the ninth tee and got off his drive just before the horn sounded to end play.

Because he teed off, he was then able to finish the final hole, meaning he won't have to resume the round at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

``That makes a big difference,'' he said.

Riegger had a share of the lead after eight holes, but his tee shot on the tough, par-4 No. 18 found the water. He bogeyed the hole to fall a stroke behind of the leaders.

Weir shot a 65 in the second round and was one stroke behind Riegger as the third round began Saturday afternoon. Playing in the same group as Riegger, Weir took the lead with consecutive birdies on Nos. 11 and 12.

Riegger, winless in 115 tour events and still looking for his first top-10 finish in five full seasons on the PGA Tour, pulled even with a birdie at No. 14.

Defending champion Jesper Parnevik, 17-year-old Ty Tryon and Southern sensation Boo Weekley missed the cut, which tied the tournament record at 4-under 140.

Weir skipped the Buick Invitational and the Nissan Open to attend the Olympics. He has played well since his return, finishing 17th at the Match Play Championship and finishing 16th at the Genuity Championship last week.

``It feels like I'm just getting started here again,'' Weir said.

Wetterich earned his tour card at qualifying school in 2001, but missed most of last season with a wrist injury. He received a medical extension that allows him to compete on tour this year, but he must make $383,901 in his first 19 events to become exempt for the rest of the season.

Wetterich missed the cut in each of the five events he entered so far. He wants, and needs, a win.

``I'm hungry for it,'' he said. ``Whether it happens or not, who knows? ButI'm going to give it my best.''

Divots

The Honda Classic is on the move again, getting a fifth home since its inception in 1972. Next year, it will be played at the Arthur Hills-designed Sunset course at Mirasol, a planned community in nearby Palm Beach Gardens. In 2004, it will move to the Tom Fazio-designed Sunrise course in the same development. ... Tim Herron eagled both par-5s on the back nine, Nos. 14 and16.

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