Three top leaderboard before rain

The Senior PGA field must have known the sunny sky and near-ideal weather just couldn't last.

Rain disrupted the Champions Tour major Saturday for the fifth consecutive year since its relocation from Florida, resulting in a scramble atop the leaderboard -- and to get the tournament over by Sunday.

With Dana Quigley, Mike Reid and second-round leader Jerry Pate tied for the lead at 5 under about midway through the third round, play was halted for the second and final time at 5:38 p.m. due to hard rain.

The 33 golfers still on the course will finish their rounds starting at 8:15 a.m. Sunday, then go right into their final rounds, with all players off by 11 a.m. NBC's telecast is due to end at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, and the PGA of America wants to see a winner determined on TV.

``I love to play golf, so it doesn't matter how many holes we play,'' Pate said. ``I'm in pretty good shape so there won't be a fatigue factor -- it's not going to come into my game. I'm looking forward to playing.''

Pate, trying for his first tournament victory in 23 years, dropped two strokes to par through 10 holes to fall back into the tie with Quigley, the ever-present tour regular who had the best round of the day going when play was stopped. Quigley, who hasn't missed a tour event since 1997, was 3 under for the day through 11 holes.

Reid started at 4 under, birdied No. 1, then parred out through No. 10 before being pulled off the course.

Last year's Senior PGA at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky., was pushed back to Monday because of bad weather before Hale Irwin won for the fourth time. Irwin all but shot himself out of contention Saturday, going 6 over through 14 holes to fall 11 shots off the lead.

Irwin was just a shot back after Thursday's first-round 69, but slumped to a 75 on Friday.

Quigley had little success on the PGA Tour from 1977-82, but has won more than $11 million and nine tournaments on the Champions Tour, though none was a major.

``I was intimidated by all the big stars,'' the 58-year-old Quigley said. ``I didn't think I belonged, and I sabotaged myself with drinking and staying out. I had a lot of growing up to do to make myself believe I can play out here with these guys.''

Seven others are within four shots of the lead, including 62-year-old Raymond Floyd, who is trying to become one of the oldest winners ever on the Champions Tour. He was 3 under through No. 12, two off the lead and one behind Dave Barr, who was alone at 4 under.

Floyd turns 63 in September, and could become the third-oldest tour winner behind Mike Fetchick, who won the 1985 Hilton Head Invitational at 63, and Gary Player, who was 62 years, 9 months when he took the 1998 Long Island Classic. Jock Hutchinson was 62 when he won the Senior PGA in 1947, long before the senior tour started.

Peter Jacobsen was tied with Floyd at 3 under, with Tom McKnight and R.W. Eaks at 2 under and Mark McNulty and Hajime Meshiai at 1 under.

Plenty of the golfers were feeling their age Saturday as a hard, heavy rain fell nearly all morning before play was halted for the first time just before noon for 1 hour, 45 minutes, before the leaders had started.

The rain was especially unforgiving of 69-year-old Bob Charles, who was 8 over through eight holes while playing in the worst of the weather. He finished with a 10-under 82 at Laurel Valley Golf Club, his second round in the 80s of the tournament.

``Starting out this morning, it was pretty bad,'' said Des Smyth, who shrugged off the rain for a 70, his lowest round of the tournament. ``And we had it for nearly 2 1/2 hours.''

The first two rounds were played under sunny conditions with temperatures in the low 70s, but temperatures never got out of the low 60s Saturday. The forecast for Sunday is improved, with partly cloudy conditions, the chance of a thundershower and a high of 67.

The Senior PGA was played at various courses in Florida from 1940-00 before being moved north in 2001. Every year since, rain has fallen during the practice rounds or the tournament.

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