OBERWALTERSDORF, Austria -- Heavy rain forced organizers to cancel play on the opening day of the European Tour's Bank Austria Open on Thursday.

The start of the first round at the Fontana Golf Club was postponed several times before it was rescheduled for Friday.

Organizers will decide before the start of the second round Saturday whether the event will be reduced to 54 holes instead of 72.

Almost three inches of rain over the last two days left parts of the course under water. Play was due to begin at 7:15 a.m. local time, but a torrential downpour from 5:00 a.m. onward, on an already saturated course, meant play was impossible.

The first round will be played on Friday, "the same times as Thursday, then round two will be played on Saturday," said Tournament Director Miguel Vidaor. "We will have to make a decision before the second round starts as to whether we go for four rounds or three rounds. "If we go for four, we will probably have to cut to 50 and ties instead of 65 and ties, if we don't cut to 50 we might have to play just three rounds.

"The players need to know before they go out for the second round if the cut is going to be altered and whether we are aiming to go three or four rounds," he explained. "We will make that decision tomorrow afternoon.

"If the weather forecast is perfect we might attempt four rounds, but if the weather is dodgy on Sunday we might play it safe and play three rounds."

The afternoon section of Wednesday's pre-tournament pro-am was also a victim of the weather.

"On Tuesday we had 35mm of rain and from 5:00 a.m. this morning we had another 35mm so we are talking almost three inches in two and a half days," Vidaor said.

"The course has taken it amazingly well. The green staff can clear the bunkers, the biggest problem we face is the fairways," he added. "They are gone, unplayable, and are going to need a few hours to dry out."

A Monday finish is a possibility, but would present a number of logistical problems, especially with the big Euro 2008 soccer tournament about to start in Austria and Switzerland.

The tournament was originally scheduled to finish at 5:00 p.m. Sunday to coincide with Austria's opening game with Croatia in nearby Vienna.

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