Campbell has lead at rainy Nissan Open

Considering the amount of rain that soaked Riviera, Chad Campbell didn’t expect to complete his second round Friday in the Nissan Open at Los Angeles. The bigger surprise was where he finished.

Equipped with a vastly improved short game, Campbell nearly holed out two shots and only came close to a bogey once in a round of 6-under-par 65 that gave him a three-shot lead over Robert Allenby.

Whether he keeps that lead won’t be determined until today.

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 of them with mud speckled on their faces and coating the bottom of their rain pants. They were to return at 7:30 a.m. today.

“I’m definitely a lot happier than a lot of the guys out there right now,” Allenby said after his 67.

Davis, who opened with a 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 because of darkness. None of the late starters finished nine holes.

Woods was 1 under for his round and 5 under for the tournament with his ball in the fifth fairway. Campbell finished about the time Woods headed for the first tee.

Champions Tour

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

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 a bogey. He birdied No. 13 and chipped in for a 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. All of those things combined make you uneasy at times.”

Hale Irwin opened with a 67, and Ron Streck, Wayne Levi, Jim Thorpe, Jerry Pate and Leonard Thompson had 68s.

Defending champion Craig Stadler shot a 73.