Associated Press
Friday, April 14

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Five inches of rain in 12 hours wiped out play Friday at the PGA Seniors' Championship.

	Groundskeepers try to drain a flooded trap on the ninth hole Friday.

Weather permitting, the first round will be finished and the second round completed Saturday.

"It's just a bad day for everybody," said defending champion Allen Doyle, who was 1-under for 12 holes with two birdies and a bogey when darkness stopped play Thursday.

"I'd hate to be in the PGA's shoes. But you want to be sure it's playable and fair for everyone when you start playing again."

Japan's Seiji Ebihara was the clubhouse leader Thursday at 68. He had been caught at 4-under par by Doug Tewell, who birdied the 11th, 14th and 15th holes before darkness halted play.

Hubert Green, winner of the PGA Championship in 1985 and the 1977 U.S. Open, was tied at 69 with Gibby Gilbert and Dana Quigley. Christy O'Conner Jr. was 3-under through 13 holes.

"The course is unplayable," Kerry Haigh, senior director of tournaments for the Professional Golfers Association of America, said. "The forecast is for a slightly less chance of rain Saturday and under the best of circumstances, we will be able to finish the second round Saturday."

Rain and lightning interrupted first-round play twice Thursday for a total of 2 hours, 57 minutes. Only 88 players in the field of 144 starters finished the first round, 54 did not. Two others withdrew during the day.

According to golf course superintendent Scott Clark, 3 inches of rain fell Thursday night and more than an inch by midday Friday.

The par-4 fourth hole, at one of the lowest spots on the Champion course, was under water and there was standing water on fairways and in bunkers on several other holes.

"The staff at PGA National did a great job of trying to get the golf course ready this morning," Haigh said. "The grounds crew was out here at 5:30 a.m. pumping water out of the bunkers and rebuilding the faces with the sand that had been washed away.

"They were back out this afternoon doing the same thing after the rain we had today. There was no serious wind or tree damage but where there was standing water, a lot of pine needles and other debris floated around to some unusual places."

The PGA plans to start second round play at 7:45 a.m. Saturday. Those who did not finish the first round Thursday will return to their positions and resume at 8 a.m., then go into the second round as soon as possible, Haigh said. A similar time schedule planned Friday never got under way.

Plans to play Monday or even Tuesday to complete what is a major championship on the Senior Tour are also being discussed. Under a worst case scenario, Haigh said, if only 36 holes has been played through Monday, the tournament could be called after 54 holes by finishing Tuesday morning.