GOLF ROUNDUP : One Round of Nelson Washed Out

Heavy overnight rains postponed the first round of the Byron Nelson golf tournament Thursday and reduced it to a three-day, 54-hole event.

The first round was rescheduled for today, the second round Saturday and the closing round Sunday.

“The course was simply unplayable,” said Mike Shea, tournament director for the PGA Tour.

Portions of the TPC at Las Colinas were flooded by a second day of rains in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. The total rainfall for two days at the golf course was about eight inches.

Tournament officials said they considered the possibility of a double round of 36 holes on Sunday, but determined they could not complete play to meet the 5 p.m., CDT, television finishing time.

Beth Daniel eagled the par-five 11th hole and shot a five-under-par 67 to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the $316,000 Konica Cup at Inagi, Japan.

Daniel, second on the LPGA tour’s money list, sank a five-foot putt for the eagle on the 463-yard 11th. She had five birdies and two bogeys on the hilly 6,397-yard, par-72 Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club course.

Nayoko Yoshikawa of Japan and Cheng Mei-chi of Taiwan are tied for second at 70.