Couples jumps into lead at suspended Senior Players Championship

Pittsburgh, PA – Fred Couples was 7-under through 11 holes on Friday to grab a 2-stroke lead at the Senior Players Championship before play was suspended for rain.

Couples' round moved him to 11-under for the tournament.

"I felt like the pins were harder yesterday than today," said Couples. "I've only played 12 holes or 11 holes, but some of them were a little easier. Yesterday I think the scoring was the same, but I felt like the pins were a little easier today."

First-round leader John Huston was 4-under through 15 holes at Fox Chapel Golf Club to sit in second place at 9-under.

Jeff Hart was able to finish his second round with a 5-under 65 to take a share of third place with Duffy Waldorf at 7-under 133. Waldorf was 3-under through 14 holes before play was called when a half an inch of rain fell on the course in just 15 minutes.

The second round will resume at 8:00 a.m. ET Saturday.

Couples entered the day a stroke behind Huston, but quickly made that up with a birdie at the 10th, Couples' first hole.

After parring his next two holes, Couples birdied the 13th and made it two in a row at the 14th.

The 2011 champion added another gain at the 16th to reach 8-under, and then got on a roll around the turn with three straight birdies from the 18th to move to 11-under before play was suspended for the day.

"Does it matter that we're stopping? To be honest, no. I mean, I was hitting the ball well, but you can look at the bright side tomorrow and come out tomorrow and have to keep going again," Couples said.

Huston, meanwhile, countered a bogey at the third with three birdies over a four-hole span from the fifth.

A bogey at the ninth halted his momentum and dropped him to 6-under at the turn, and after parring his next four holes, Huston followed a birdie at the 14th with an eagle at the 15th to pull within two strokes of Couples.

He will finish his final three holes on Saturday morning.

"Well, you know, fortunately I've only got three holes to finish for second round, so it's not going to be that much more golf," Huston said about resuming his round on Saturday. "But once again it's probably going to be a long day. There's a good chance we'll probably have to do this again tomorrow."

NOTES: Couples, who has won two majors on the Champions Tour, has finished runner-up in his last two tour starts ... Huston's best-ever finish in a major championship is a tie for third place at the Masters in 1990 ... Friday's round was played with lift, clean and place conditions in effect ... Saturday's third round is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. off split tees.