Masthead
Cristie Kerr didn't need to sink a long putt to gain a potentially significant advantage in the U.S. Women's Open, or whip a 290-yard drive down one of Oakmont Country Club's slender fairways.
She only needed it to rain.
A relentless string of thunderstorms that began with 100 of the 156 golfers still to begin or complete the second round caused play to be suspended at mid-afternoon Friday at Oakmont, Pa. Twenty-eight of the 31 golfers who were within three shots of the lead had played only a few holes or hadn't teed off.
Except for Kerr, the world's No. 1 player, and first-round leader Brittany Lang, who shared the not-very-crowded clubhouse lead at 1-over 143. Sophie Gustafson was at even par, but she had 17 holes left in her round.
Kerr finished her even-par 71 before the pelting rains flooded Oakmont's famed Church Pew bunkers and saturated its super-fast greens.
Lang, a former Duke All-American, slid from a first-round 69 to a 3-over 74 as temperatures went down but the scores didn't, with Christina Kim a shot back at 2-over 144 following successive 72s.
Kerr was the undisputed favorite to win her second Women's Open in four years - she also won in 2007 - after winning the LPGA Championship two weeks ago by an unprecedented 12 shots.
Play is scheduled to resume at 7:30 a.m. today, with the third round set for 2:30 p.m.
The leaders won't start the third round until approximately 5:30 p.m. today and will finish Sunday morning.
Also Friday
John Deere Classic: Defending champion Steve Stricker broke the tournament's 36-hole record, giving him a one-stroke lead heading into today's third round in the PGA event at Silvis, Ill.
Stricker, playing in the morning, shot a 5-under 66 for a two-round total of 126, which is 16 under at the TPC Deere Run course.
That was just good enough to hold off Paul Goydos, who in Thursday's opening round shot only the fourth 59 in PGA Tour history.
Goydos couldn't maintain the deft putting touch that had enabled him to join golf's most exclusive club, and he settled for a 3-under 68 and 127.
David Frost set the 36-hole record of 127 in 2000.
Scottish Open: Darren Clarke was nearly flawless in miserable conditions at Luss, Scotland, opening a three-shot lead as he looks to add to what already has been a banner year for golf in Northern Ireland.
On a dreary day at Loch Lomond, Clarke chipped in for birdie on the tough 16th and holed a series of 20-foot birdie putts on the front nine for a 4-under 67, giving him the lead over Edoardo Molinari, who had a 69.
Perhaps more impressive than being at 10-under 132 going into the weekend is that Clarke has made only one bogey - a three-putt from 20 feet on the par-3 11th hole on Friday.
He has played cleanly in conditions that caused Phil Mickelson to take a quintuple-bogey on the 18th hole, and Ernie Els to make consecutive double bogeys as he was trying to finish. They both missed the cut.
