Neither Water Nor Lightning Detours Singh

Vijay Singh, overcoming two tee shots into water, birdied seven holes and widened his lead Friday in the weather-interrupted second round of the Sprint International at Castle Rock, Colo.

Singh had 27 points under the modified Stableford scoring system used in this event, giving him a four-point lead over Steve Flesch.

For the second day in a row, lightning and rain hit Castle Pines Golf Club. After causing a 2-hour 40-minute delay on Thursday that forced 36 players to finish their rounds early Friday, lightning struck again in the afternoon with half the field still on the course.

After a delay of 2 hours 25 minutes, play resumed, but 31 players were unable to finish by nightfall. They were to complete their rounds early today, with the cut to follow and the third round to begin about an hour later than originally scheduled.

Singh, who began the day as the co-leader with Jim Carter at 15 points, added 12 points to his total--tying the 36-hole tournament record set by defending champion Phil Mickelson last year.

“Sooner or later this run was going to come to an end, I thought,” Singh said. “I wasn’t expecting to go out there and shoot another 15 to 20 points.”

Singh drove into water on the par-five 17th hole but salvaged par. He also drove into water on his last hole, just after the horn sounded to suspend play because of darkness, but players were allowed to finish any hole they started. Singh scrambled to make bogey.

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Michelle Estill, who scored her only tour victory as a rookie, winning the 1991 LPGA Championship, took the first-round lead at the LPGA Rainbow Classic at Maple Grove, Minn., with a seven-under-par 65.

“I’ve been on the tour eight years and people ask me if it feels like a long time [since winning],” Estill said. “It feels like 100 years.”

Nancy Harvey is one shot back.

Only two of the tour’s top 10 money winners are competing. Se Ri Pak pulled out last week.

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Walter Hall’s seven-under 65 gave him a three-stroke lead after one round of the Senior PGA Northville Long Island Classic at Jericho, N.Y. Gary Player, Lee Trevino and four others are at 68.

An impressive opening round in this tournament isn’t anything new to Hall, 51, who had a 66 and 68 and shared the lead entering the final round last year only to shoot a closing 74 and finish 11th.

“I’ve played four rounds here,” Hall said. “One wasn’t very good and three were very good. I had a bad start to the last round last year.”

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Two-time winner Bernhard Langer had an eagle and five birdies and shot a seven-under 65 to share the lead with Spain’s Jose Rivero halfway through the European Open at Dublin, Ireland. They are six under at 138.

Rivero had eight birdies in a round of 66.

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Britain’s Johanna Head and Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam shared the lead in the Compaq Open at Malmo, Sweden, after two rounds with scores of 141.

One stroke behind them was American Kelly Robbins, who set a course record with a five-under 67 in stormy, rainy weather. She had six birdies, including four in a row on the back nine.

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In Front

Results after Friday’s play:

SPRINT INTERNATIONAL

Modified Stableford Scoring

Vijay Singh: +27

Steve Flesch: +23

Brandt Jobe: +22

Jesper Parnevik: +21

Davis Love III: +20

Scoring: 8 points for double eagle, 5 points for eagle, 2 for birdie, zero for par, minus-1 for bogey and minus-3 for double bogey or worse.

RAINBOW FOODS CLASSIC--Par 72

Michelle Estill: 33-32--65 -7

Nancy Harvey: 32-34--66 -6

Tracy Hanson: 34-33--67 -5

LONG ISLAND CLASSIC--Par 72

Walter Hall: 32-33--65 -7

Tom Shaw: 36-32--68 -4

Gary Player: 34-34--68 -4

Lee Trevino: 33-35--68 -4

J.C. Snead: 35-33--68 -4

Ed Dougherty: 33-35--68 -4

Jose M. Canizares: 34-34--68 -4