2nd round of St. Jude Classic resumes after weather stoppage gave Gay clubhouse lead

Mickelson among those restarting 2nd round

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The second round of the St. Jude Classic has restarted with Phil Mickelson among the 78 golfers back on the TPC Southwind course.

Mickelson had marked his tee shot in the 16th fairway, leaving him 210 yards to the hole.

The tour is trying to wrap up a second round stopped Friday afternoon because of a thunderstorm that set off tornado sirens. Officials hope to conclude the third round as scheduled later Saturday.

Brian Gay had the clubhouse lead after a 4-under 66. Robert Allenby has three holes to finish and was tied with Bryce Molder (63) two strokes back of Gay at 8 under.

John Daly is among those waiting to see if he will make the cut at even par in his first PGA Tour event since being suspended for six months.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Phil Mickelson is back to the business of golf, trying to figure out his problematic putter while tuning up for the U.S. Open at the St. Jude Classic.

Meanwhile, Brian Gay surged to the lead Friday and the thunderstorm that set off tornado sirens had John Daly waiting to see if he will make the cut at his first PGA Tour event since being suspended.

The PGA Tour stopped the second round of the St. Jude, leaving Gay as the clubhouse leader after a 4-under 66. Seventy-eight players were still on the course, including Mickelson with three holes to complete, and they were due back Saturday morning to wrap up before the third round begins.

The storm brought heavy rains to the TPC Southwind that should only help scoring on a course golfers already had found receptive.

“It’s obviously going to make the golf course a little softer,” Robert Allenby said.

Allenby lost here in a playoff a year ago. He was due back to finish his final three holes after a bogey dropped him into a tie at 8 under with Bryce Molder (63), two strokes behind Gay who had a 10-under 130 total.

Woody Austin (66) was at 133 in a group that included David Toms, the two-time champ here who was at 7 under with four to play. Rich Beem (68) and Loren Roberts (67) were among those tied at 134. John Daly, playing his first PGA Tour event since his six-month suspension, was even par after a 68 that had him at the projected cut line when play was stopped.

Officials already had fans heading toward the exits when the horn blew. The timing was good with lightning seen 10 minutes later, and the tornado sirens went off about 40 minutes after the stoppage. Winds blew rain sideways and tossed carts across the grounds with some siding ripped off concession stands.

Mickelson was at 4 under and standing next to his tee ball in the 16th fairway with 210 yards to the par-5 hole. He marked his spot, tossed the ball to his caddie and got a ride off the course on a cart. He walked to his car without commenting.

Hundreds of fans followed Mickelson from hole to hole yet again, many wearing pink in support of Mickelson and his wife, who is fighting breast cancer.

“The star this week is Phil Mickelson,” said John Senden, who shot a 66.

Mickelson looked more relaxed a couple days after an emotional news conference, even laughing a couple times during breaks in play Friday. He had three birdies and a bogey before just missing with his putter on the back nine. He is using this event to get back into competition mode, and that may have been why he hit iron instead of driver or a wood off the tee a couple times.

He birdied three of six holes to get to 5 under, and his last birdie came when he mashed his drive 348 yards on the par-4 ninth. He stuck his approach within 5 feet and rolled in another putt for birdie.

His putter failed him as he left a birdie attempt short on No. 11 and had to tap in for par. His second shot into the par-4 No. 12 dropped 12 feet from the cup. His birdie attempt rolled just right of the hole and a couple feet past.

Then Mickelson pushed his drive into the rough, coming up a couple feet short of knee-high weeds. He bogeyed the hole but not because of that drive. He missed a 25-footer for birdie, then lipped out a 3-footer for par when the ball hit the back of the cup and turned out right.

He laid up again on the par-4 15th and had a short birdie putt he pushed a couple feet past with his frustration starting to show. He had a chance to rebound after a strong drive on the 16th, a good scoring hole. Then came the horn.

For Gay, he is trying to do what he did in Hilton Head in April, when he ran away with a victory by 10 strokes. A win here will get him a ticket to Bethpage Black next week, and he birdied five of his first eight holes and got as low as 12 under when he birdied the par-4 12th and 15th. He bogeyed his final two holes and fell back to 10-under 130 through 36 holes.

“I did pretty good being ahead last time, so I was telling myself on the back nine out there to, I was really trying to push and try to make as many birdies as I could but … probably pulled the wrong club on a couple holes coming in,” Gay said.

Divots: This marked the seventh PGA Tour event interrupted by weather this year. … Gay’s 130 total for 36 holes is his personal best on tour. He shot 131 twice, most recently at the 2003 Zurich Classic in New Orleans. … Guy Boros, tied for fourth after a 66, needed only nine putts over his final nine holes.