Trio beat the rain in Melbourne

England's Paul Casey shot a 7-under-par 65 Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Heineken Classic, while Ernie Els fell five strokes back.

Casey, a former Arizona State star, had a one-stroke lead over Spain's Santiago Luna. England's Warren Bennett and Gary Evans and Australia's Peter Fowler and Peter Lonard were two shots back.

Els opened with a 70. The South African won the first two PGA Tour events of the year in Hawaii and was second Sunday in the Singapore Masters.

The day began with clouds and light wind, perfect for good scoring. By late morning, a storm hit the course and dumped nearly an inch of rain at drought-hit Royal Melbourne, forcing a 90-minute suspension when greens and fairways became flooded.

Afternoon starters, including Casey, Luna and Els, then put up with persistent drizzle for the first few holes of their rounds before finishing in sunshine.

"I saw all of Melbourne's lovely weather today," said Casey, the 2001 Scottish PGA winner. "I think I did pretty well considering the elements."

Els bogeyed his first hole before the suspension.

"I had a very shaky start," Els said. "I was also lucky not to bogey the second. I tried to regroup during the rain delay, but there were so many changes of weather."

Nick Faldo was 5 under after 13 holes before the storm hit, but finished with a 69. Greg Norman had a 73.

"I was very disappointed with the way I played," said Norman, soaking wet when he finished his round. "I putted terribly."

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