Perry Ties Woods as Play Is Halted

Tiger Woods had a two-shot lead at the NEC Invitational when storms approached and play was stopped for three hours. He returned to hit three bad shots and fell into a tie for the lead Saturday when the third round was suspended at Akron, Ohio.

After spending 10 hours during an on-again, off-again day at Firestone, Woods was tied with Kenny Perry at seven under par with three holes that he’ll have to finish this morning.

Perry is not through, either.

Thanks to two birdie putts from off the green, Perry was six under for his round and facing a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a chance to shoot 63.

Paul McGinley of Ireland was another shot back through 15 holes, and Stuart Appleby reached the 667-yard 16th hole in two shots for the second time this week and was five under through 16 holes. Two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal finished his round with a 66 and was the clubhouse leader at four-under 206.

“The day was great. The ending was not,” Perry said. “I think they called it too soon.”

“No one is really happy right now,” Woods said.

Woods was four under for his round and had a two-shot lead when the round was stopped the first time. He had a difficult flop shot from left of the par-three 15th green, and returned to hit it 10 feet past the hole. His par putt caught the right lip, and he followed that with a drive into deep rough to the left of the 16th fairway before play was called.

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Defending champion Vaughn Taylor opened a six-stroke lead in the Reno-Tahoe Open, birdieing four of his first five holes en route to an eight-under 64 and a tournament-record 21-under 195 total.

Taylor, who opened with rounds of 64 and 67 to set the 36-hole record, shattered the 54-hole mark of 201 that Jerry Kelly set in 2001 and moved into position to break the 72-hole record of 17 under set by Kirk Triplett in his 2003 victory.

Todd Fischer, playing in his hometown, was second at 15 under after 69. He birdied the last five holes to overcome three early bogeys.

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South Korea’s Soo-Yun Kang moved into position for her first victory in three full seasons on the LPGA Tour, shooting a four-under 68 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Safeway Classic at Portland, Ore.

Kang, a co-leader with Sung Ah Yim after a first-round 64, has a 12-under 132 total. Gloria Park and British Open winner Jeong Jang were nine under.

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Former PGA Tour and USGA administrator David Eger shot an eight-under 64 for a share of the second-round lead with Craig Stadler and Morris Hatalsky in the Boeing Greater Seattle Classic at Snoqualmie, Wash.

The leaders were at 12 under for the Champions Tour event, two strokes ahead of Brad Bryant and John Harris.