PRO GOLF ROUNDUP Watson's putter red hot in U.S. Senior Open play

He shot an opening round 66 and leads the field by three strokes.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOLEDO -- When Tom Watson was a kid in Kansas City, his dad always called it a "field goal" when a long putt went in.
In the first round of the U.S. Senior Open, Watson split the uprights again and again.
With memories from his surprising performance at Olympia Fields still vivid, Watson shot a 5-under-par 66 Thursday to take a three-stroke lead in the rain-suspended opening round of the U.S. Senior Open at Inverness Club.
"I don't know what got into me," he said. "Today was one of those days that everything worked well with the putter. I made a lot of long putts."
Repeat performance
It was nothing new for Watson. Two weeks ago, in the opening round of the U.S. Open at Olympia Fields, he continually rolled in putts from across the green during a spirited 65 that gave him a share of the lead.
This round lacked the emotion of that one. There were no hugs with ailing caddie Bruce Edwards, just an occasional exchange of fist pumps after another long putt found its target.
"Yes, Bruce and I have been through it," said Watson. "Playing for a national championship as a senior, it's something special. As I said earlier this week, this is one of the top two senior tournaments we play, along with the Senior PGA. I have won one and I would like to win the other one."
Watson won the Senior PGA Championship in 2001.
A thunderstorm suspended play with 36 of the 156 players still on the course. The first round was to be completed this morning. The second round was to start as scheduled.
Bruce Lietzke was alone in second after a 69. Mike McCullough and J.C. Snead were the only other players to break par, each with a 70. The top four players all went off early in the morning.
St. Jude Classic
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Jay Haas and Darron Stiles shot 7-under-par 64s and shared a one-stroke lead in the suspended first round of the rainy St. Jude Classic.
Play stopped twice because of rain at the TPC at Southwind course, and more rain and darkness kept 56 golfers from finishing the round.
Haas, 49, picked up where he left off last week with a final-round 65 to tie for fourth at the Buick Classic. In the first group off the No. 1 tee, Haas bogeyed the first hole before reeling off seven straight birdies for the first time in his career as part of a nine-birdie, two-bogey round.
Stiles, a three-time winner on the Nationwide Tour enjoying his first season on the PGA Tour, nearly had the lead to himself at 8 under after a bogey-free round with five birdies and an eagle. He had just hit to 12 feet on the par-4 18th when thunderstorms stopped play for nearly two hours.
Robert Damron was a stroke back. David Gossett, who grew up playing this course, was tied with Stan Utley and Dennis Paulson at 66.