Six share lead at suspended Price Cutter Charity Championship

Springfield, MO – Three-time Web.com Tour winner Cliff Kresge was one of six players to card a 6-under 66 on Thursday and grab a share of the lead at the suspended Price Cutter Charity Championship.

The start of the first round was delayed over five hours due to inclement weather in the area, causing play to eventually be suspended for darkness.

Kresge was joined by Andy Winings, J.J. Killeen, James Nitties, Brett Stegmaier and Matt Hill atop the leaderboard at Highland Springs Country Club.

"The idea was just to put it in the fairway," Winings said. "I just wanted to be able to take advantage of the lift, clean and place conditions. If you miss the fairway it will punish you. The rough's really thick."

Daniel Chopra, Jim Renner, Jason Schultz, Dawie van der Walt, Matt Bettencourt, Nate Smith and Peter Malnati shot matching 5-under 67s to share seventh place.

Andrew Loupe and Andrew Svoboda were 4-under through nine and seven holes, respectively, to sit among a large group of players tied for 14th.

The first round will resume at 9:00 a.m. ET Friday, with the second round scheduled to start at approximately 11:00 a.m.

Kresge started on the back nine and opened with three straight birdies. He picked up another shot at the 17th, but gave that right back with a bogey at the 18th to make the turn at 3-under.

He got that shot back with a birdie at the second and later rolled in back-to- back birdies at the seventh and eighth to move to the top of the leaderboard.

Winings tripped to a bogey at his first hole, the 10th, but bounced right back with an eagle at the 11th and a birdie at the 12th to move to 2-under.

After parring the next four holes, he birdied three straight from the 17th to get within a stroke of the lead and closed with a birdie at the ninth to reach 6-under.

"I played well here last year and I have good memories," said Winings, who missed out on last year's playoff at this event by a stroke. "I bogeyed the first hole, but after that I played flawlessly. Overall I can't complain."

Hill had an eagle, two birdies and a bogey over his first nine holes to make the turn at 3-under. He reached 6-under with three straight birdies from the first and later traded a bogey for a birdie at the seventh and eighth to end there.

Nitties fell to 1-over with a bogey at the 12th before closing his first round with five birdies and an eagle to move into a share of the lead.

Stegmaier and Killeen each recorded six birdies during their bogey-free rounds, with Killeen doing so as the lone member of the leaders to start on the front nine.

NOTES: Play was called for darkness at 9:03 p.m. ... Kresge's last win came at the 2006 Oregon Classic ... Winings has made the cut in just one of five starts this year ... Defending champion Chris Wilson was 1-under through four holes when play was suspended.