Golf

Strange staggers in senior debut

NAPLES - Curtis Strange got off to a slow start in his Champions Tour debut, shooting 2-over 74 Friday to fall eight strokes behind first-round leaders R.W. Eaks and Mike McCullough in the ACE Group Classic.

Strange had four birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. The two-time U.S. Open champion hit his second shot into the water on the final hole but got up and down for bogey. He birdied No. 13 and chipped in for birdie on No. 14.

"There were some anxious moments because you want to play for so many, including yourself," Strange said. "But you also know that there are so many unknowns out there."

A television analyst most of the past eight seasons, Strange won 17 PGA Tour titles, highlighted by his 1988 and 1989 U.S. Open victories. He also captained the 2002 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

"You can hit balls all you want or practice all you want, but where you really find out what you need to work on is when you go play a competitive round," he said.

The 51-year-old Eaks, a three-time winner on the Nationwide Tour, birdied the last three holes on the TwinEagles course.

PGA TOUR: Considering the amount of rain that soaked Riviera, Chad Campbell didn't expect to complete his second round in the Nissan Open. The bigger surprise was where he finished.

Equipped with an improved short game, Campbell nearly holed two shots and only came close to bogey once in a round of 6-under 65 for a three-shot lead over Robert Allenby (67).

A four-hour rain delay in the morning made it certain that first-round leader Brian Davis, Tiger Woods and the rest of the late starters would have to return today and face a long day - weather permitting.

Seventy-two players trudged in from Riviera, some with mud speckled on their faces and coating the bottom of their rain pants. They had to return at 7:30 a.m. today.

Davis, who opened with 65, had the last tee time. He was about to hit his opening tee shot on No. 10 when the siren sounded to suspend the second round.

Woods, whose 67 was his best start ever at Riviera, missed a 4-foot eagle putt on his opening hole and let another get away by missing a 10-foot birdie on the third hole. He was 5 under and faced 31 holes today.

EUROPEAN PGA: Defending champion Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand shot 6-under 66 for a two-stroke lead in the Malaysian Open at Kuala Lumpur. Thongchai, the first Thai winner on the European tour, totaled 14-under 130 on the Saujana course. Denmark's Thomas Bjorn (64) was second at 12 under.

[Last modified February 19, 2005, 00:58:04]