Rain cuts short opening day

Tom McKnight was rolling along, oblivious to threatening weather conditions.

The Champions Tour rookie birdied three straight holes and was about to tee off on No. 14 at the TPC of Tampa Bay when lightning and heavy rain suspended play Friday during the first round of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am.

``It's funny. If somebody had asked at that point: `How many birdies have you made in a row?' I really hadn't thought about it,'' McKnight said. ``When you're in the middle of a round, you're basically like it's not a round until it's complete.''

McKnight was 4-under par through 13 holes of the scheduled 54-hole senior event patterned after the PGA Tour's stop at Pebble Beach. Don Reese also was 4-under through 13, and John Harris 4-under through 11 with four birdies and no bogeys.

``I'm glad to be where I am,'' McKnight said. ``But it's still the first 18 holes of the tournament.''

A morning thunderstorm pushed back tee times, and early starters had barely been on the course for three hours when play was suspended because of lightning and a steady downpour that continued well into the afternoon.

Only 40 of the 76 pros, paired with amateur partners for the first 36 holes, were able to begin the round before play was stopped.

Hale Irwin, Ray Floyd, Lanny Wadkins, Curtis Strange and defending champion Mark McNulty were among the 36 who did not begin their rounds.

At one point, it looked as if the weather might clear, and another sudden deluge sent spectators scrambling for cover and left officials no choice but to call play for the remainder of the day after a 4-hour, 21-minute delay.

``We could not play any more golf,'' Champions Tour tournament director Bruce Sudderth said. ``The deluge of rain washed out many of the bunkers, left standing water on a lot of fairways and greens, and still we were not clear to get out on the golf course free of lightning.''

Officials would like to finish the first round and get in at least half of the second on Saturday, when the forecast calls for a slight chance of rain.

Barring more bad weather, the remainder of the second round, as well as the third, would be played on Sunday.

Harris said he felt fortunate to get in as many holes as he did Friday, noting that nearly half the field will have an extremely long day Saturday.

``We probably played a lot of holes under pretty good conditions,'' Harris said. ``It's going to be muddy. It's going to be wet (Saturday).''

McKnight, meanwhile, hopes he can take up where he left off.

``I've been in a position like this before,'' he said, adding that it's difficult to predict how he'll play. ``I've come back before and done well, and I've come back and played poorly. We'll see.''

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