Weir, Wetterich Lead a Crowded Field

The greens were soft, the palm trees were steady and the TPC at Heron Bay was perfect for scoring Saturday at Coral Springs, Fla.

Mike Weir and Brett Wetterich were tied for the lead at 14-under par when the third round of the Honda Classic was halted because of darkness. Weir completed 10 holes and Wetterich 11.

“You have to make birdies or you’re going to get lapped,” Weir said.

Twenty-five others, including Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson, were within four strokes of the lead.

“The winner may be outside of four shots,” said Matt Kuchar, who shot a six-under 66 to move to 13 under. “Everybody is in contention. A lot of people will have a chance.”

Play will resume today and the final round will start shortly after the third round is completed.

Heavy rain fell on the course Thursday, leaving dozens of players with more than 18 holes to play Friday and Saturday.

The weather also left the course with soft greens that yielded several low scores. Scoring was made even easier Saturday when Heron Bay’s lone defender--strong, steady wind--took a day off.

Second-round leader John Riegger, Kuchar, rookie Stephen Gangluff and 1988 Honda Classic champion Joey Sindelar were tied at 13 under.

Kuchar and Gangluff (65) were among the 21 golfers who completed the third round.

Riegger had a share of the lead after eight holes, but his tee shot on the tough, par-four No. 18 found the water. He bogeyed the hole to fall a stroke behind the leaders.

Weir, a left-handed Canadian, shot a 65 in the second round and was one stroke behind Riegger as the third round began.

Playing in the same group as Riegger, Weir took the lead after consecutive birdies on Nos. 11 and 12.

Riegger, winless in 115 tour events and still looking for his first top-10 finish in five full seasons on the PGA Tour, pulled even with a birdie at No. 14.

Defending champion Jesper Parnevik, 17-year-old Ty Tryon and Southern sensation Boo Weekley missed the cut, which tied the tournament record at four-under 140.

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Ernie Els shot a five-under 67 to take a three-shot lead after the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic at United Arab Emirates.

Els had six birdies, including four on the back nine, and was annoyed with a double-bogey five on No. 7. He had a 203 for three rounds and Niclas Fasth was second at 206 following his third-round 69.