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Bradley has early lead at Travellers Championship

Michael Bradley had a one-stroke lead when first-round play in the Travelers Championship was suspended for the day Thursday.
Michael Bradley
Michael Bradley watches his shot out of a green-side bunker on the 18th hole during the first round of the rain delayed Travelers Championship golf tournament in Cromwell

CROMWELL, Conn. — Michael Bradley had a one-stroke lead when first-round play in the Travelers Championship was suspended for the day Thursday.

Bradley was 6 under with two holes left when play was stopped at 11:30 a.m. at TPC River Highlands.

“You know what, it’s unfortunate,” Bradley said. “The course is unplayable. There’s a lot of water on the course.”

Officials reopened the driving range late in the afternoon and hoped to resume play at 5:45 p.m. after emptying the bunkers of waters and using squeegees on several fairways. But another shower forced more delays and officials eventually decided not to restart play before 7 a.m. today.

“All the good work they’d done, they lost,” said Mark Russell, the PGA Tour’s vice-president of rules and competition.

PGA Tour officials said the course received just over an inch of rain in the 6 1/2 hours before play was called for the day.

Vijay Singh was in a group of seven players a shot back. Singh hit his drive into the woods on the par-4 15th hole just before the rain delay. He found the ball and was expected to take a drop when play resumes.

Bo Van Pelt also was at 5 under through 15 after making an eagle and two birdies on his final three holes of the morning.

“Unfortunately, weather, mother nature took over,” he said.

Former Masters champion Zach Johnson was in a group at 4 under.

Only two groups finished the round. Kris Blanks shot a 68 to put him four strokes behind Bradley and Ben Curtis opened with a 69.

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., finished his round at even-par 70. Calgary’s Stephen Ames and Chris Baryla, Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont., David Hearn of Brampton, Ont., still need to finish first-round play.

Russell said officials hope to play from 7 a.m. to sunsettoay and be back on schedule to finish on Sunday. But the forecast called for more rain.

“Right now, we’re just thinking lets come in the morning and play some golf and if we can, we’ll make some decisions at that time,” Russell said. But we are tied in to playing 72 holes. We are going to play 72 holes here.“

Tseng in front by one stroke

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Top-ranked Yani Tseng shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Paula Creamer in the first round of the LPGA Championship.

Meena Lee and Angela Stanford were 4 under, and Morgan Pressel, Stacy Lewis, Ryann O’Toole, Amy Hung and Hee Young Park were at 3 under.

Defending champion Cristie Kerr, who was ailing with a light case of the flu, shot an even-par 72.

Play was halted in the early evening by a severe thunderstorm with 58 players still on the course.

Tseng made five birdies on the front nine and three more on the back to go with a pair of bogeys. She recovered from a bad tee shot at the par-4 18th hole that landed in the thick right rough, hit her second shot to four feet, and drained the birdie putt for sole possession of the lead.

Tseng won the LPGA State Farm Classic on June 12 for her second victory of the year.