HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) - K.J. Choi’s early tee time and quick start moved him to the top of the rain-delayed RBC Heritage on Friday.
Choi shot a 67 to get to 5-under 137, one stroke ahead of Robert Allenby and two in front of a group led by former world No. 1 Luke Donald as the second round was suspended because of heavy storms.
Allenby was among 65 players still on the course when the rain hit Harbour Town Golf Links. Officials delayed the round shortly before 3 p.m. and then sent everyone home until Saturday morning after waiting through about 90 minutes of steady, heavy rain.
Allenby has 13 holes to finish when play resumes Saturday morning.
Donald shot a 69 and joined Billy Hurley III (69) and first-round tri-leader Scott Langley (73) in the clubhouse two shots behind Choi. Bo Van Pelt and Ben Martin were also at 3 under early in their rounds.
LPGA TOUR
KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) - Angela Stanford shot a 5-under 67 to open a four-stroke lead after three rounds of the LPGA LOTTE Championship in breezy Hawaii.
Stanford is 13 under going into the final round Saturday, ahead of Hyo Joo Kim and Michelle Wie at 9 under.
Stanford, a five-time LPGA Tour winner, finished the day with six birdies and one bogey, one day after taking the tournament lead with a 64 in the second round.
Stanford birdied two holes in a row on the front nine, getting to 10 under with a birdie on the par-5 fifth hole. She moved to 13 under with birdies on Nos. 11, 12 and 13.
Wie shot 2 under in the third round and is tied with the 18-year-old Kim.
Wind gusts were up to 20 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
EUROPEAN TOUR
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Lee Westwood jumped out to a four-shot lead and Pablo Larrazabal jumped into a water hazard to escape hornets during the second round of the Malaysian Open.
Westwood moved closer to ending a two-year winless drought by adding a 6-under 66 to his opening round of 65 at Kuala Lumpur Country Club.
However, the action was overshadowed by Larrazabal needing on-course medical attention after being attacked by hornets at the 14th hole, the fifth of his round.
“They were three times the size of bees,” he said. “They were huge and like 30 or 40 of them started to attack me big time. I didn’t know what to do. My caddie told me to run, so I start running like a crazy guy, but the hornets were still there, so the other players told me to jump in the lake.
“I ran to the lake, threw my scorecard down, took off my shoes and jumped in the water. It was the scariest moment of my career, for sure. I’ve never been so scared.”
Incredibly, he birdied the 14th hole en route to a round of 68 and a share of 25th place at 2 under.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) - Miguel Angel Jimenez made a dramatic Champions Tour debut, setting a tournament record with a first-round 65 in the soggy Greater Gwinnett Championship.
Jimenez, coming off a fourth-place finish in the Masters, overcame constant rain and chilly temperatures at TPC Sugarloaf. He shot a 6-under 30 on his first nine holes, including an eagle on No. 18. He reached 7 under with a birdie on No. 2 and closed with seven straight pars.
Defending champion Bernhard Langer, Steve Pate and Kenny Perry each shot a 68.
Fred Couples shot a 69, including a double bogey on No. 9, his finishing hole. Jeff Sluman also shot a 69.
Though light rain began soon after the round began and became more intense in the afternoon, there was no delay.
SENIOR PGA PROFESSIONAL
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) - Gene Fieger won the Senior PGA Professional National Championship, closing with a 3-under 69 for a six-stroke victory.
The 53-year-old Fieger, the PGA director of golf at Hideout Golf Club in Naples, Fla., finished at 13-under 275 at PGA Golf Club and earned $20,000 in the event postponed in October in Virginia because of rain and flooding. The top 35 earned spots in the Senior PGA Championship on May 22-25 at Harbor Shores in Michigan.
Don Berry had a 70 to finish second. The 53-year-old Berry is the PGA head professional at Edinburgh USA in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.