Three share lead as Ginn sur Mer Classic pushed back to Monday finish

From WorldGolf.com News Services

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Darkness came too early Sunday, leaving business to be finished Monday in the Ginn sur Mer Classic.

With six golfers yet to complete their final rounds, Fredrik Jacobson, Shigeki Maruyama and Daniel Chopra were all tied for the lead at 18-under par when darkness halted action at Tesoro Club's Arnold Palmer Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Play is scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. EST Monday with Jacobson and Maruyama starting on the par-3 17th hole and Chopra at No. 16.

That could serve as an advantage for Chopra as the par-5 16th hole is the easiest hole on the course. Chopra has birdied No. 16 in each of his previous three rounds in the tournament.

"I've got a little bit of an advantage," Chopra told reporters. "That's why your leaders go in the last group to always have that. So it's going to be fun tomorrow to go out there [to] have a little bit of a shootout [and] see what happens."

Jacobson, who is 4 under on his final round with two holes to play, said he wasn't disappointed to see the tournament halted.

"I was probably the one calling it off," Jacobson told reporters. "I don't have great eyesight when it gets dark, so I kind of struggle with the putting.

"It's a little tough to zoom in on the shots and distance to the ball. I thought since we weren't getting done any way, I might as well start over [Monday]."

Like Jacobson, Maruyama is 4 under on his round. The Japanese golfer was spurred on by an eagle at No. 16, holing out from the sand.

Through an interpreter, Maruyama said in his press conference that he was just trying to get close to the hole and, "luckily," it went in.

Wet course conditions have hampered the field throughout the tournament and once again slowed play Sunday. The third round wasn't completed until shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday, and the start of the final round was pushed back to noon Sunday.

The postponement marked the third unscheduled Monday finish on tour in 2007, joining the Honda Classic and Verizon Heritage. The Deutsche Bank Championship had a scheduled Monday finish.

The round of the day was turned in by Dicky Pride, who shot a 9-under-par 64 to get to 16 under for the tournament. John Daly withdrew from the tournament after shooting a 6-over 79.

For Chopra, the delay might serve as a good opportunity to help stop his slide. He led by four strokes heading into the back nine, but had bogeys at holes 10 and 13, dropping to 1 under on his round.

"It was a tough back nine," Chopra said. "I missed a putt on the 10th hole. I didn't feel very comfortable after that. It was all a bit of a struggle, and I got some horrible lies in the rough. I got a couple of weak drives and managed to get up- and- down on the greens to keep myself where I'm at."

Chopra, who is hunting for his first PGA Tour victory, said he knows he's got a difficult road ahead of him if he expects to win the tournament.

"They're never easy. They're never supposed to be easy," Chopra said. "If I come out on top, I'm just glad - I'll treasure it so much more when you have to really fight for it and work for it. I'm going to have to do that."

October 29, 2007