Associated Press
Saturday, April 1

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Larry Nelson shot his second straight 4-under 68 Saturday, completing the weather-delayed second round of the Tradition, and led the Senior PGA major at the midpoint.

Nelson, who completed 15 holes Friday, had a par-bogey-birdie finish for a 36-hole total of 136.

	Tom Watson rides back to the clubhouse during one of the many delays Friday. Watson finished his second-round 66 on Saturday.

Tom Kite, tied with Nelson at 8-under when play was suspended because of darkness, bogeyed the 15th and 16th holes, parred No. 17 and birdied No. 18 to finish at 137.

Kite opened with a 66, but his second-round score -- like those of most others -- was affected by two interruptions Friday.

Lightning forced a delay of 1 hour, 40 minutes early, and rain stopped the tournament again for 2:17. The almost four hours of inactivity on the Cochise Course at Desert Mountain seemed like a replay of last year's Tradition, when snowstorms wiped out two rounds.

"The unique thing about being up in the mountains is that they apparently attract and cultivate these storms," said Brian Henning, the Senior PGA Tour's vice president of competitions.

Twenty-one of the 74 players had to finish the round with an early start Saturday, then begin the third round.

First-round leader Jim Ahern, who played in the worst weather because of an early start, completed his round Friday but was obviously the worse for his trouble.

Ahern, who shot 65 Thursday, had a double bogey and two bogeys in the first seven holes and shot a 75 for a 140 -- still good for sole possession of third.

Bruce Summerhays was five shots back at 141, one stroke ahead of John Jacobs and Tom Watson. Watson, one of the late finishers, had the best score of the second round -- a 66.

George Archer, Joe Inman, Ed Dougherty, Dale Douglass, Andy North and Mike McCullough followed at 143.

Defending champion Graham Marsh, Jay Sigel, Bob Eastwood, Walt Morgan, Gary McCord and Bruce Fleisher, the only two-time winner in nine events this season, were at 144.

Nelson, who began the round 4 under, bogeyed the first hole in the gloom of approaching thunder clouds and also bogeyed No. 10. He finished the uneven round with seven birdies and three bogeys.

Kite's approach shots were steady all day Friday -- the longest of his three birdie putts was from 12 feet, and he dropped 7-iron shots 6 feet from the pin at No. 2, and 3 feet away at No. 10.

But the 7-iron let him down at the fourth hole, a par-5 where Kite made his only bogey of the tournament. The ball went over the back of the green, and Kite left himself a 12-foot par putt when he chipped back. Instead, he two-putted.

The effects of the weather on early starters were apparent on Morgan, who was tied with Kite a shot behind Ahern when the round began. In a terrible stretch from the fourth hole through the seventh, Morgan lost six shots by scoring bogey, bogey, bogey, triple bogey-6.