VOLVO MASTERS' SECOND-DAY PLAY SUSPENDED

The rain in Spain fell mainly on
Valderrama today ....

Less than four hours' play was possible on the second day of the European Tour's season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama today because of heavy rain.
But that was long enough for defending champion Justin Rose to fail to break 80 for the second successive day - and then withdraw after being told of the death of his grandfather in South Africa.
Ten players had not even started their second rounds, including leaders Soren Kjeldsen and Sergio Garcia, but in the battle for the Order of Merit title Miguel Angel Jimenez dropped seven strokes in the first four holes before the suspension came.
The decision not to have preferred lies appeared to have done him no good at all.
That almost certainly puts the Spaniard out of the running for the money list title - he had to win to stand a chance - leaving only Robert Karlsson, Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington to battle for the crown.
Jimenez, in the dreadful conditions, started bogey, double bogey, bogey, triple bogey. At the end of that little run, he had gone from two over par to nine over.
Jimenez, normally the most mild mannered of competitors, complained that play should never have started. He also noted that everyone should experience in the same conditions, in so far as that is possible – and that those who had still to finish or started their rounds at 8.30 in the morning could have an unfair advantage.
Jose Manuel Lara, who completed 14 holes, was another Spaniard who was cold, wet and out of sorts. "The course was unplayable after three holes," he protested.
John Paramor, the chief referee, and David Garland, the tournament director, could not have been more straightforward. Paramor explained that when he did a reconnaissance lap of the course at dawn, conditions had been acceptable. What is more, the forecast was for a big wind and dry intervals amid the showers.
Where things went wrong was when a cold, wet front from Portugal joined forces with one already in place. "In retrospect," said Paramor, "I wish I had allowed preferred lies."
Since he did not, he cannot now introduce them when the second round resumes.
Harrington demonstrated all his major championship steel in being level par for his 13 holes."I did as well as I could in the conditions," said the Irishman.
What helped to keep his spirits up was the thought of the unfortunate fellow who, in his weather forecast on local radio, had promised a lovely day.
The shot the repeating Open champion was still savouring at the end of his dark and dripping expedition was his third to the fourth. It was an eight-iron of 122 yards played from a side-hill, downhill lie in rough which he hit through the worst of the elements to 12 feet.
Harrington, who said that the secret of wet-weather golf was to dry the grip of the club before you put it back in the bag, has not given up on winning this championship. Not by any means.
Offialdom is still hoping that the tournament will still be a 72-hole affair but, with more rain – and lightning – forecast for today, they know they could be down to three rounds or even two.
Current No 1 Karlsson was three over after four holes and Harrington five over after 13, while Westwood had yet to resume on one under.
Rose added an 81 to his opening 80 for a 19-over-par total of 161. He was last by seven when play was called off just after mid-day and then postponed for the day three hours later.
The forecast is not good for the weekend, meaning the last-ever Volvo Masters could be cut to 54 or even 36 holes.
COMPLETED SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2 x 71)
151 Nick Dougherty (Eng) 78 73.
154 Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 78 76.
161 Justin Rose (Eng) 80 81.