Golf Roundup : Las Vegas Tournament Is Shortened to 72 Holes

Ken Brown retained a one-shot lead Thursday in the delayed windup to the first round of the storm-shortened Las Vegas Invitational.

Severe thunderstorms Wednesday in an area that averages 1.5 inches of rain a year disrupted the tournament schedule and reduced the format from a 5-day, 90-hole event to 72 holes.

The 64 Brown shot on Wednesday stood up as the lead, although Keith Clearwater and Larry Rinker joined South African Denis Watson at 65. Clearwater played at the Las Vegas Country Club, one of three resort courses being used, and Rinker was at Spanish Trail. Watson, a former winner of this title, completed his round Wednesday.

Former U.S. Open champion Andy North, Fred Couples and Tom Byrum moved into a group of six at 66.

The delay forced a revision and a reduction in the tournament format.

Tournament chairman Ted Hartley said the schedule calls for the pros to play one round on each of three courses, each day with a different four-man amateur team, so the reduction of the tournament schedule was unavoidable.

Despite the loss of one round, “the full purse will be paid,” Hartley said. That amounts to $1.3 million, with $225,000 to the winner.

The schedule calls for the second round today and the third round Saturday.

After 54 holes, the field will be cut to the low 70 scorers for Sunday’s pros-only final round at the Las Vegas Country Club.

Kathy Postlewait birdied three of the last five holes Thursday to finish with a 67 and tie six other golfers for the first-round lead of the LPGA’s $225,000 S&H; tournament at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Postlewait, winner of one tournament this season and two in 14 years on tour, had five birdies and no bogeys on the par-72, 6,013-yard course at Pasadena Yacht & Country Club.

She and Pam Allen, Dawn Coe, Beverly Klass, Martha Nause, M.J. Smith and Carolyn Hill led seven other golfers by one stroke.

Betsy King, this year’s LPGA money leader with $162,432, Chris Johnson, Mindy Moore, Martha Foyer, Lori Garbacz, Donna Cusano-Wilkins and Jill Briles finished with 68s.