Associated Press
Saturday, August 5

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. -- Ernie Els played 25 holes in 8 hours and regrets he ever had to stop.

	Greg Norman, playing without worrying about his injured hip, sits in third place behind Ernie Els.

Els posted a tournament-record score for 36 holes to seize the second-round lead Friday in the weather-plagued International at Castle Pines Golf Club.

Fifty-one golfers remained on the course when play was suspended by lightning at 9:08 p.m. ET. They completed their second rounds early Saturday morning, after which the third round began.

Els, forced to finish his first round early Friday because of lightning delays on Thursday, shared the first-round lead with 15 points under the modified Stableford scoring system used in this event.

He added 19 points in a nearly flawless second round for a total of 34, breaking the 36-hole record of 29 set by David Toms last year.

The scoring system awards a player with 5 points for an eagle, 2 points for a birdie, zero for a par, minus-1 for a bogey and minus-3 for a double bogey or worse.

"Obviously, I've had two beautiful days on this course," Els said. "I've played about as good as I could from tee to green. The course was playing quite soft and there was not much wind, so it was there for the taking."

Els, five times a runnerup this season, held a 6-point lead over Stuart Appleby, who played his final four holes Saturday morning, recording one birdie. Appleby has had back-to-back 14-point rounds.

Greg Norman, playing in his first tournament since having hip surgery five weeks ago, was at 26. Norman added 14 points to the 12 he totaled in the first round.

Tom Lehman and Andrew Magee had 23 points, Jay Delsing 22 and Spain's Sergio Garcia 21.

Michael Clark II and Glen Hnatiuk were at 20. Two-time International champion Phil Mickelson, Notah Begay III and Mark Calcavecchia each had 18.

During his 25-hole marathon on Friday, Els had 10 birdies and an eagle that were worth 25 points.

Els, who had three birdies in the seven holes he played to finish his first round, had seven birdies and an eagle in his second round.

The eagle came on the par-4, 485-yard 10th hole that consistently ranks as the most difficult on the course. Els split the fairway with a 333-yard drive, then holed out a wedge from 152 yards.

"I hit a perfect drive," Els said. "My wedge bounced a couple of times and spun back into the hole. It was one of those pure shots."

Els was runnerup in this tournament in 1995, suffering a disastrous double bogey on the 10th hole in his final round.

"That hole owes me," he said.

He lipped out another eagle opportunity with a short pitch on the par-5 17th hole.

Norman admitted he feels fatigue after his surgery and long layoff, but added, "My mind is free now just to concentrate on golf and not worry about what was wrong with my body. I'm more relaxed. To have the freedom to swing away again is wonderful."

Tiger Woods, citing the need to rest before the PGA championship, is skipping this event. David Duval, the world's third-ranked player, withdrew on Thursday because of a lingering back injury.

Among those missing the cut were defending champion David Toms (6 points), Nick Faldo (3) and Jose Maria Olazabal (1).

Another cut -- to the low 36 players and ties -- will be made after Saturday's third round. Unlike the early years of this tournament, all scores are cumulative for the four rounds.