Bogota, Colombia – Australia's Peter Lonard and Americans under 66s on Thursday to share round lead of the Bogota Open, the 2012 season-opener on the Nationwide Tour.
Play was suspended due to darkness with three players yet to finish round one at Country Club de Bogota. They will return at 7:30 a.m. (et) to complete play.
Sponsor's exemption Morgan Hoffman and tour rookie Erik Flores are knotted in fourth place at four-under 67.
Defending champion Brenden Pappas headlines a group tied for sixth at minus- three.
Lonard was the first of the leaders finished on Thursday and bogeyed the second hole. He birdied four, then seven and reached three-under par thanks to an eagle at the par-five eighth.
Lonard birdied 13 and 18 to get in first at five-under par. The 44-year-old Aussie will need a big season if he's to return to the PGA Tour, where he played from 2002-09.
"I'm no spring chicken and there comes a time when you have to decide whether you're going to keep going or you're not," philosophized Lonard. "I suppose this is a make-or-break year. I'm not getting any younger. We'll see how we go this year. Obviously this year is the only year I'm interested in at the moment. If I have a really bad year then I'm probably done but I'd like one more shot at the main tour."
Horschel eagled the par-five 10th, his first of the round, but lost both strokes with a double-bogey at the par-three 12th. He tallied three birdies over his first nine, but bogeyed No. 2.
Horschel was two-under until a great run, starting at the fourth. He rattled off four birdies in a five-hole span to get to six-under par, but he couldn't stay alone on top.
He three-putted the ninth hole for a bogey.
"I'm going to have nightmares about that last one," joked Horschel. "I hit two good shots and I hit a great first putt that just broke off and left me with a two-footer. I didn't want to leave myself with that. I got up there and had a little downhiller and wanted to let it die in the hole. I completely stopped my hands and the ball started left and stayed left. It'll stick with me for about 20 minutes."
Smock made the turn at one-under and a birdie at one, his 10th, climbed him to two-under. He birdied three of his last four for a piece of the first-round lead.
NOTES: Had Horschel parred his last, he would've matched Tag Ridings 2010 course record...Pappas won last year when inclement weather wreaked havoc with the tournament and officials shortened the event to 36 holes...No one has successfully defended a title on the Nationwide Tour.