Second Day Is a Soggy Excuse

The pace at this week’s Nissan Open has all but mirrored the standstill on the nearby Santa Monica Freeway.

You know how it is when it rains in Los Angeles.

Everything gets backed up for four hours, including golf tournaments.

What a mess.

To recap, Thursday’s rain-soaked first round at Riviera Country Club was completed Friday, but Friday’s second round didn’t have a hacker’s chance.

The round was delayed four hours in the morning and Chad Campbell turned out to be one of the lucky ones as he dodged raindrops and beat the stoppage horn on his way to shooting six-under-par 65.

Coupled with his first-round 68, Campbell paddled out of Riviera at nine-under 133 after 36 holes and holds a “work-in-progress” three-shot lead over Robert Allenby, who shot 67 and stands at 136.

Should Campbell’s second-round lead hold, it would mark the first time he has led a tournament after 36 holes.

Luke Donald, Stephen Leaney and Rocco Mediate also managed to complete their second rounds and are stationed four shots behind Campbell at 137.

The operative words here are “for now.”

Brian Davis, the first-round leader after shooting 65 on Thursday, did not even get to start his second round.

Davis was on his way to the first tee when play was suspended at 5:43 p.m.

Play began Friday at 11 a.m. and was halted at dusk with 72 players unable to finish the second round.

Tiger Woods, only two shots off the lead after his opening-round 67, began his second round at 4:26 p.m. and completed four holes before play was stopped.

Racing the sun, Woods birdied the par-five first and then made three pars before the horn sounded. Woods stands at five under, four shots off the lead, and will resume his second round at 7:30 this morning.

Other contenders left on course included Kevin Sutherland, six under overall through five holes, and Darren Clarke, five under overall through seven.

Mike Weir’s chances of becoming the first player to win three straight Nissan Opens took a serious hit when he shot two-over 73, his round foiled by a triple-bogey on the par-four 13th hole.

Weir three-putted from four feet on the hole and is suddenly seven shots off the lead.

Barring another deluge, the plan is to try to complete as many holes as possible today, get the tournament back on track and avoid having to extend play to Monday.

Campbell, a 30-year-old Texan, awoke Friday thinking there would not be a second-round leader.

“I honestly thought we wouldn’t even start,” he said.

Campbell was surprised at how well Riviera held up and said the course was in great shape despite the moisture.

He killed time before his round by eating in the caddie trailer and sleeping on a bench.

It was that kind of day.

Once out on the course, Campbell flowed like water running downhill.

In 2003, Campbell was voted by his peers as the next player most likely to win a major.

“I’m definitely flattered with what people had to say about me,” he said.

A two-time winner on tour, Campbell almost made good on that prediction by finishing second to Shaun Micheel at the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Mostly, though, Campbell has yet to live up to his undeniable potential.

Allenby, from Australia, seemed an unlikely contender in this event given his record this year -- he missed his first three cuts and finished tied for 45th at the FBR Open -- and utter lack of faith in his golf game.

Allenby admitted to having “zero” confidence beginning play this week and said it was “still the same” after shooting 67.

“I had only four good holes,” he quipped.

Allenby made an eagle on the first hole and had birdies on Nos. 6, 17 and 18.

“I finished nicely today, so that should get me maybe, you know, two out of 10 confidence.”

Allenby, though, has a history of playing well in sloppy conditions and a history of playing well at Riviera.

He won a six-man playoff at the 2001 Nissan Open in rainy conditions, making birdie on the first playoff hole, the par-four 18th.

Who could ever forget?

Allenby won that day with a birdie after knocking a three-wood from 220 yards to within six feet of the cup.

“I seem to play a lot better in the rain than in the good weather,” Allenby said. “You would think I was from Ireland or somewhere like that, wouldn’t you?”

Allenby said he would love nothing more than to win this tournament.

He hopes he can win it this week.

“It looks like it’s going to rain all Friday, all Saturday and all Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,” he said. “It ain’t going to stop. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work that one out either.”