GOLF ROUNDUP : Wet and Tired Geddes Leads U.S. Women’s Open

Jane Geddes took the clubhouse lead at the U.S. Women’s Open on Friday, but it took her 12 hours to do it.

Geddes shot a two-over-par 74 in a soggy second round at the Atlanta Athletic Club at Duluth, Ga., that was interrupted three times by rain delays totaling 6 hours 11 minutes.

The round was suspended because of darkness at 8:30 p.m., with 84 of the 156 players on the course and another 18 golfers waiting to tee off. They will try to complete their second round this morning.

Geddes, the 1986 Open champion, had shared the first-round lead with Patty Sheehan at 66--the best opening score in the history of the event.

Sheehan, a three-time winner this season and the leading money winner on the LPGA Tour, didn’t start her second round until 7:30 p.m.

Sheehan birdied the first hole to go to seven under, but she and playing partners Nancy Lopez and Colleen Walker completed only three holes before the round was suspended because of darkness.

Walker, who shot an opening-round 69, birdied the first three holes Friday to go six-under for the tournament. Lopez, who opened with a 68, fell to three-under when she bogeyed the first hole Friday.

“I get to rest tomorrow, and they don’t,” Geddes said. “It’ll be a long day for a lot of people.”

Among those completing the second round were Betsy King and Pat Bradley. King, the defending champion, shot a 71 for a 143, while Bradley was at 144 after shooting a 70.

Rosie Jones had a 70 and Meg Mallon 71 for 142 totals. Debbie Massey shot a 73 and was tied with King at 143. Mary Murphy had a 74 for a 144 total.

Lee Trevino made four consecutive birdies on the back nine to complete a six-under-par 65 for a share of the first-round lead with Dave Hill in the $600,000 Kroger Senior Classic on the Grizzly Course at the Jack Nicklaus Sports Center at Mason, Ohio.

Joe Jimenez, Walt Zembriski and John Paul Cain were one stroke back at five-under-par 66. At 67 were Rives McBee, Homero Blancas, Charles Coody, Jim Dent and George Archer.

“I made a couple of mistakes today, and that’s about it,” Trevino said.

Trevino barely missed a 12-footer on No. 18 that would have given him the outright lead.

Two consecutive days of heavy rain had washed out the pro-am event and had threatened Friday’s opening round. Trevino said that worked to his advantage, since he has been driving well and could afford to shoot for the pins on the soft greens.

“I don’t mind the mud. All the major championships I won in this country have been in the mud,” he said.

Hill liked the effect the rain had on the course. It made the greens “about my speed--not real fast, not real slow.”

“I did something today I haven’t done in a long time; I got eight birdies,” Hill said. “I’ve never been a very good mudder. I’m surprised I played as well as I did today.”

Scott Verplank, a former U.S. Amateur and NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, shot three-under-par 68 at Pleasant Vally Country Club at Sutton, Mass., for a one-stroke lead over Larry Rinker at the halfway mark of the $900,000 Bank of Boston Classic.

Rinker, winless in 10 years on the PGA Tour, shot a 65. Mike Smith, the first-round leader, slipped to 72 that left him at 137 with Brian Watts, Steve Pate, John Mahaffey, Bill Glasson and D.A. Weibring.

Ian Woosnam of Wales shot a four-under par 67 and moved into a three-stroke lead in the Scottish Open at Gleneagles with a 54-hole total of 201.

Woosnam began the round two strokes behind Gordon Brand Jr. of Scotland, but Brand stumbled to a 72 and fell into a second-place tie with Mark McNulty of Zimbabwe.

Derrick Cooper of England was fourth at 205 after a 68. He is the only player to record three sub-par scores for the tournament.