For the first time in five years, the PGA Tour will have two consecutive 54-hole events.
The third round of the Buick Challenge was halted by heavy rains Saturday before any of the leaders could get on the course. Five players are tied for the top spot, including defending champion Fred Funk."It's funny that it would happen two weeks in a row like this," said Funk, who won the B.C. Open last week in a one-hole playoff after rain washed out the final round. "It's frustrating because everything means so much for the money-list situation at this time of year. It's much better to have a 72-hole tournament."
About two-thirds of the players had teed off when rain halted play at 11:35 a.m. Only five players managed to finish 18 holes.
After a delay of nearly two hours, tournament officials decided to cancel play. Although the Mountain View course at Callaway Gardens has an excellent drainage system, the bunkers were flooded and the fairways looked like small lakes after more than an hour of drenching rains.
The tournament, reduced to 54 holes, will resume Sunday morning with the third - and now final - round and a much better forecast. Funk is tied with Michael Bradley, Davis Love III, Len Mattiace and John Maginnes at 10-under 134, with five other players within two shots of the lead.
"It's more like a run-and-gun, run-and-shoot offense (Sunday) to see how low you can get," Funk said.
He questioned the decision to start play Saturday, under threatening skies, from only the first tee. If players had been teeing off at both the first and 10th holes, they might have gotten in enough of the round to finish it Sunday morning, then go right into the final round in the afternoon.
"Seventy-two holes is the true test of a champion at the end of a weekend," Funk said. "But a situation like this, I guess you can't help it."
The rain was hardly a surprise. A major system from the Gulf of Mexico had brought periods of heavy showers during the second round Friday, but not enough to stop play.
PGA officials said it was the first time since 1991, when the Memorial and Byron Nelson Classic were reduced to 54 holes, that two consecutive tournaments had a round canceled because of inclement weather.
Vantage Championship
CLEMMONS, N.C. - J.C. Snead birdied four of his final eight holes Saturday in swirling winds and under threatening skies to take a one-shot lead after two rounds of the $1.5 million Vantage Championship.
Snead, trying to rebound from a mid-season hip injury, carded a 3-under 68 at Tanglewood Park on the heels of his first-round 66 for an 8-under 134 to lead former first-round leader Jim Colbert and Gary Player by one shot heading into Sunday's final round.
Colbert, a winner here in 1991-92, shot a mediocre 70 Saturday, while Player's 65 was the best round of the day.
Leading money winner Hale Irwin and Raymond Floyd are another shot back at 136 after each carded 67s. Six other golfers are three shots off the lead.
LPGA Fieldcrest Classic
CORNELIUS, N.C. - The rest of the field at the Fieldcrest Cannon Classic should be thankful Dottie Pepper made just one bogey Saturday.
Pepper, bidding for her fifth victory in her last nine LPGA tour events, responded to her lone miscue with three consecutive birdies, propelling her to a 4-under-par 68 and a two-shot lead heading into Sunday's final round.
"It kind of got me going. I was a little disappointed," Pepper said of her errant approach shot that led to a bogey on the 379-yard 12th hole at the Peninsula Club.
Closest to Pepper, who finished three tours of the 6,318-yard layout in 13-under 203, were Dale Eggeling, defending champion Gail Graham and Kim Saiki. Eggeling carded a 68, Saiki a 70 and Graham a 71.
Trish Johnson was alone at 206 after a 68, and the group at 206 included rookie Cindy Haley, who aced the 167-yard 13th with a 4-iron.