GOLF ROUNDUP : Weiskopf an Incomplete Leader

Neither rain, nor thunder nor impending darkness could stop Tom Weiskopf.

Delay him, yes, but stop him in the U.S. Senior Open? No.

Weiskopf stood over a three-foot putt for a par on the first hole at Congressional Country Club on Saturday as lightning flashed and rain fell.

After waiting out a 3-hour 42-minute rain delay, he returned and made the putt.

Over 14 holes, he had four birdies and 10 pars to move to 10 under par and take a two-shot lead over Isao Aoki, who was playing No. 16.

To play more would have required a flashlight.

“I think I would have liked to finish today, get the round over and done with,” Weiskopf said. “You don’t have to worry about what is ahead of you, and the morning is easier because you get to sleep in.”

The third round for the 10 golfers remaining on the course in Bethesda, Md., will be completed this morning, to be followed by the final 18 holes.

“It’s just part of the game,” Weiskopf said. “No one can control it. It’s just a matter of safety.”

Weiskopf fashioned his lead with a string of 20 bogey-free holes. Aoki stayed close with five birdies in a row after opening his round with two bogeys and a par.

“I think the three-hour suspension made me relax and cool down after the two bogeys,” Aoki said through an interpreter. “That helped.”

Raymond Floyd completed his round just before play was stopped, shooting a three-under 69 for a five-under 211 total and the clubhouse lead.

Tommy Aaron, who began the day in a first-place tie with Weiskopf at six under, parred the first hole before the thunder began. Unlike Weiskopf, he struggled after that, notching five bogeys and dropping to two under through 14.

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Jim Gallagher closed out a three-under-par 68 with a bogey as darkness fell, and he held a one-stroke lead over Gene Sauers after three rounds of the FedEx-St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn.

Gallagher held a two-stroke lead as the third round started late Saturday afternoon after a rain delay Friday forced most of the field to play 36 holes.

He held that lead with five birdies and two bogeys for a 54-hole total of 18-under 195, bettering the course record of 198 set by Dan Forsman in 1992.

Sauers, playing in the group ahead of Gallagher, equaled his own course record with a 29 on the back nine and finished with a 63 that included nine birdies and a bogey.

Bob Tway had a 69 and was at 198, while Ken Green (65) and John Huston (68) were tied at 203.

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Katie Peterson-Parker, who has not won in five seasons on the LPGA Tour, shot a three-under-par 69 for a one-stroke lead over Michelle McGann after the second round of the $550,000 Youngstown-Warren Classic in Ohio.

Peterson-Parker had a 36-hole total of 134 heading into today’s final round at the Avalon Lakes Golf Course with eight players within five strokes of the lead.