Soggy Saturday sets up a huge Sunday at the CPC

Sunday is shaping up as a long and dramatic day at the PGA Club Professional Championship, thanks to the heavy weather that halted Saturday's third round and left the leaders still facing a round and a half. The Sunday showdown for the Walter Hagen Cup and berths in the PGA Championship and on the PGA Cup team looms as one of the most closely contested in years.

By Bob Denney, PGA of America

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (PGA.com) -- Heavy rain drenched The Ocean Course Saturday afternoon, suspending play in the third round of the 38th PGA Club Professional Championship and postponing for one day what was developing into the most closely contested duel for the Walter Hagen Cup in many years.

Play was suspended at 12:08 p.m. ET due to lightning passing through the area. Then, a band of rain set in for the remainder of the day to prevent a conclusion to the third round. The third round will resume Sunday at 8:00 a.m., with the final-round pairings to remain the same as the third round, with starting times from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Travis Long of Henderson, Nev., Alan Morin of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., and Scott Spence of Shorewood, Minn., were tied for the lead at 2-over-par when play was halted. Long joined by 74 others in the Ocean Course clubhouse, trying to relax until the final determination on play was announced.

"It seems like it's not a real test of golf for everyone; it's a real test of patience," said Long, making his first CPC appearance. "You're trying to wait out the weather, and it's patience for your golf game, too. You make sure you just make good swings on every shot. When you finally get out there, it's an adventure during the swing, when the ball is in the air and when it lands."

Mike Small of Savoy, Ill., and Craig Thomas of Oceanside, N.Y., are a stroke behind at 3-over-par. Small, the men's coach at the University of Illinois and last year's runner-up, was the hottest player on the course during trying conditions.

Small was 2-under-par through 13 holes, shaking off an opening-hole bogey by collecting birdies on the fifth, sixth and seventh holes.

The PGA Head Professional at Burl Oaks Golf Club in Minnetrista, Minn., Spence had finished eight holes even par before the sirens sounded an interruption to play. He opened with a birdie, and bogeyed the par-5 second and the par-4 sixth before making a birdie on the par-5 seventh.

Long and Morin, the second-round co-leaders, were each 2-over-par through seven holes. Long, a PGA Assistant Professional at Southshore Golf Club in Henderson, Nev., birdied the seventh hole after a string of bogeys on the third, fourth and fifth holes.

Morin, the PGA Assistant Professional at The Falls Country Club in Lake Worth, Fla., bogeyed the fourth and seventh holes.

Darrell Kestner, the 1996 PGA Club Professional Champion, has been keeping himself within striking distance of the lead, as one of four players lying four strokes back at 4-over-par. Kestner opened with a 70, then added a 77. He birdied the opening hole Saturday, bogeyed the fifth and sixth and then held on for par through 10 before the stoppage of play.

Kestner, who appeared the most relaxed among the leaders in the clubhouse, was able to get a short nap, and his wife, Margie, brought him an extra set of clothes should play resume.

"It's just patience, knowing that everyone is going to be struggling," said Kestner. "You have to rely on a keen short game. I don't hit the ball that great. I enjoy the short game and I enjoy the challenge of trying the bump and run, trying the flop shot and making a putt under pressure. I think that's a fun part of golf and I go into that with that mind-set. That keeps it fun and gives you a chance on days like this."

The 38th PGA Club Professional Championship, featuring a purse of $500,000, is presented by Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra; Buick; Club Car; and Amstel Light and Buckler. The Greg Norman Collection is the Official Golf Apparel of the CPC, while The Golf Channel is an exclusive media partner and the PGA Tour a contributing partner.

The PGA of America, founded in 1916, is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.

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