Notes: AT&T Classic, Rd. 1

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Jonathan Byrd was able to post a 6-under 66 before heavy rains poured down on others in the afternoon at TPC Sugarloaf.

AT&T CLASSIC, first round: Leaderboard | XM radio | Groups to watch

BY THE NUMBERS: Breaking down the first round ...

PLAY STOPPED: A long day has just ended, although players still out on the course have the option of finishing their holes. (7:34 p.m.)

PERRY'S 66: Kenny Perry has finally finished his round after a long wait on his last hole, No. 9. His 6-under 66 is the low round of the afternoon group and puts him tied for the lead. -- (7:23 p.m.)

MORE VIDEO LINKS: From Thursday's round ...

• Stewart Cink on his round of 4-under 68
• Parker McLachlin on his 6-under 66 that ties for the lead
• Kevin Stadler birdies the par-3 11th hole

THRIVING IN THE RAIN: Kenny Perry is putting together the best round of the afternoon. He's bogey-free through his first 15 holes and enters into the tough closing stretch of Nos. 7, 8 and 9 tied for the lead at 6-under after he tapped in for birdie on the par-5 sixth.

Perry, you may recall, was in the final group Sunday with Paul Goydos at THE PLAYERS Championship but finished with an 81 and ended up tied for 15th. Think he was slightly motivated to rebound with a solid start today?

You can follow the rest of Perry's round by clicking here. -- (5:40 p.m.)

TOUGH START: Franklin Langham started his round on the par-5 10th tee this afternoon and ... well, let's just say it wasn't the start the Georgia native was hoping for. He took four penalty strokes off the tee after his first four tee shots went too far left, and he wasn't putting until he was lying on the green in 11.

Langham eventually finished with a 13 for the hole, and things just didn't get much easier for the rest of his first nine, as he double-bogeyed the 12th and 18th and bogeyed the 13th and 14th to shoot 50 on his front side.

Langham wasn't the only afternoon player to experience problems in the torrential rains and harsh conditions. Charles Warren, who tied for third earlier this year at the FBR Open, was sailing along at even par going into the par-4 third, which was was his 12th hole of the round after he started on the back nine. Warren then proceeded to bogey the third, double-bogey No. 4 and then took a 9 on the par-4 5th when he took two penalty strokes. That left him at 9-over. -- (5:31 p.m.)

NO RAINCOAT: According to our friends on the XM telecast, the reason Ryuji Imada is not wearing a rain jacket this afternoon is not because he's trying to tough it out. Instead, he simply forgot to put one in his bag, despite the forecast of rain.

Even so, Imada is hanging tough, although he just bogeyed the par-5 sixth to fall to 3 under. -- (5:13 p.m.)

VIDEO CLIPS: A few first-round highlights ...

• Jonathan Byrd shoots a 6-under 66 in the first round
• Ryan Palmer shoots 6-under 66 in the first round
• David Toms rolls in a birdie at the third hole

RAIN IMPACT: Stewart Cink, who lives in Sugarloaf and should know the course as well as anyone outside its designer -- that would be Greg Norman -- believes that the rainy conditions make the par 4s "play 30 yards longer."

That means two stretches on the course will be much tougher -- Nos. 12 through 15, all par 4s, and Nos. 7-8-9, which includes two par-4s and the longest par 3 on the course at 248 yards.

"Finishing on the front nine is extremely difficult with 7, 8 and 9 all brutal holes, lengthwise," Cink said.

"It's just a lot more difficult to play when the rain's coming down. You've got a lot more to deal with." -- (4:20 p.m.)

WAIT FOR IT: One of the issues stemming from the poor weather is the waiting times for players at several holes, particularly at the tees on 9 and 18. Players getting rulings, taking drops and even coming back to hit tee shots -- it all adds up.

Parker McLachlin, for instance, had to wait for nearly an hour at par-4 472-yard No. 9, which because he started his round on the back nine, was his final hole of the day. Not only was his rhythm thrown off, but he actually got cold out there.

"It's probably one of the toughest tee shots on the golf course," McLachlin said. "You're just sitting there like, 'All right, let's just stay focused on making a good swing."

McLachlin hit his drive 280 yards down the fairway and eventually parred the hole for his 6-under 66. -- (4:06 p.m.)

THE GOYDOS CAP: In case you're wondering if Paul Goydos is wearing a sponsor's cap after going last week at THE PLAYERS Championship with a Long Beach State cap that he bought at an airport ... well, the answer is no. Goydos, who is playing this afternoon, is still wearing that same cap. Hey, why mess with a good thing? You can follow his round here. -- (3:50 p.m.)

PLAY HAS RESUMED: The horn has been sounded and the players are in back in action after a 31-minute delay due to heavy rains -- (3:43 p.m.)

EVEN THE PRESS TENT: How hard is the rain coming down? It has even flooded parts of the media center. Holes now have been drilled in the elevated floor to allow the pools of water to filter out the bottom. -- (3:42 p.m.)

WEATHER ISSUES: Unfortunately, the AT&T Classic has endured more than its share of weather problems the last few years. Here are the problems since 1997.

-- (3:38 p.m.)

SUSPENDED PLAY: Play was suspended at 3:10 p.m. due to a torrential downpour. -- 3:10 p.m.)

LET IT RAIN: Four players in the morning round -- Jonathan Kaye, Ryan Palmer, Jonathan Byrd and Parker McLachlin -- have shot 6-under 66s, just ahead of the rainy conditions that should affect play the rest of this afternoon.

And you can bet not one of those guys feels bad about it.

"It's always nice to catch the good end of the draw," said McLachlin, the last of the four clubhouse leaders to finish his round. "We've all been on the bad end of them."

Although the field woke up to ominous clouds this morning, the rain managed to hold off for awhile. As a result, scoring conditions were excellent. The greens were soft, and there was no wind.

"The course played pretty easy today," Byrd said.

But not as easy for those teeing off in the afternoon. They're getting drenched.-- (2:52 p.m.)

BYRD TOO: Jonathan Byrd has joined the leaders in the clubhouse after carding a 6-under 66. Last year's winner at the John Deere Classic, Byrd comes off a week where he finished tied for 32 at THE PLAYERS Championship after making the cut on the number with three consecutive birdies on the tough 16th, 17th and 18th holes at TPC Sawgrass.

"I played really solid today," said Byrd, who noted that his round could've been even lower were it not for four putts stroked dead-center that came up just inches short. -- (1:09 p.m)

OUT OF NOWHERE: Ryan Palmer and Jonathan Kaye haven't exactly been familiar faces on the PGA TOUR this season. Palmer has made just four starts this season, with three missed cuts and a tie for 39th at the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular. Kaye has made five starts, with three missed cuts. His best finish was a tie for 53rd at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

But they both were front and center early this morning, as they each posted 6-under 66s to claim the clubhouse lead.

"Relief. Exciting. Fun," is how Palmer described his round. Starting his day on the 10th hole, he birdied both par-5s going out, then had four birdies on the front side coming in, including a three-hole birdie stretch starting with the par-3 second hole.

"It's been tough not getting to play as much this year ... so it's nice to finally come out on a Thursday and put up a low round and get myself in position for the week."

As for Kaye, he broke 70 for the first time in 15 rounds this season.

"I haven't played in six weeks so I just go out and take it what gives me," he said.-- (12:15 p.m.)

THURSDAY'S LINKS: From the media center ...

Barry Williams, the caddie for Bob Tway, reveals to the Gwinnett Daily Post what's in his player's bag. "This is the heaviest bag I have ever carried," Williams said. (Click for story)

David Duval tells the Gwinnett Daily News' Ben Beitzel that he hasn't truly worked out for more than four years. "I am in the boat with a lot of people right now, probably where I need to lose a few pounds and get healthy," Duval said. (Click for story) -- (11:07 a.m.)

Zach Johnson explains to the Atlanta Journal-Consitution why he's enjoyed so much success at the AT&T Classic. "It's all about being comfortable," Johnson said. "When you get on a course where you like the greens, you can see the line and feel the speed; it's just a dangerous combination." (Click for story)

TRIPLE PLAYS: Several players this morning have already fashioned impressive three-hole birdie stretches as the guys with early tee times seem to be eating up the course. Here are the players who have already put together three consecutive birdies:

In addition, Garrett Willis has holed out from 153 yards for eagle on the par-4 434-yard No. 1. -- (10:30 a.m.)

GOYDOS & ROME: Last week's runner-up at THE PLAYERS Championship, Paul Goydos, was a guest on sports radio talk show host Jim Rome's show on Wednesday. Goydos and Rome have the Southern California (or So-Cal, if you're into Rome's smacktionary) connection going, and it's obvious Rome was a fan even before Goydos' amazing run at TPC Sawgrass last week.

Rome asked Goydos if last week's result was bittersweet, with Goydos nearly winning and still cashing the biggest check of his career but losing in the playoff with Sergio Garcia after hitting into the water at the 17th. Goydos said it was, but added "at least it wasn't sour." An honest answer that offered a positive outlook -- no wonder so many fans began pulling for Goydos last week.

You can listen to the interview by clicking here. And Goydos tees off at 12:40 p.m. today; to follow his round once he begins, click here. -- (9:30 p.m.)

LOVING SUGARLOAF: Just how much does Zach Johnson enjoy playing at TPC Sugarloaf? Obviously, he's had success here, winning twice in the past four years. But even when he doesn't win, he's able to cash a nice little check. Check out Johnson's performance chart in his five starts at the AT&T Classic:

Johnson's total of $2,341,650 won at the AT&T Classic ranks second to three-time winner Phil Mickelson's $2,987,416.66. Mickelson is not playing this week, so a top finish by Johnson would vault him to the top of the tournament's all-time money list. -- (9:20 a.m.)

A LITTLE RAIN?: Weather will be an issue in today's first round. Stormy weather is expected; the players with afternoon tee times will most likely be affected. According to Meteorlogix, the rain could be heavy at times, with total rainfall amounts of more than one inch possible.

As for the rest of the week, a few showers may linger on Friday, but the weekend will likely be dry with comfortable temperatures. -- (8:48 a.m.)