LUKE DONALD MAKES SOLID START WITH 68 IN NEW ORLEANS

Luke Donald, pipped for victory in last weekend's US PGA Tour event, has picked up where he left off with a four-under-par 68 in the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana.
Donald birdied the par-5 second and also picked up a shot at the fifth. Consecutive birdies on the last two holes lifted him into the top 10 at the end of the day.
The English Ryder Cup player is in joint ninth position, two shots behind the joint leaders, Americans Bubba Watson and late finisher Matt Jones.
Graeme McDowell's miserable run of form continues. The Ulsterman had a 73 to be sharing 74th place. But at least that's better than Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim who had a 74 to be joint 96th ... and Justin Rose had a 77 to be languishing in a share of 137th spot.
FIRST ROUND LEADERS
Par 72
Players from US unless stated
66 Bubba Watson, Matt Jones.
67 Joe Durrant, Tommy Gainey, Carl Pettersson (sweden), John Rollins.
Selected scores
68 Luke Donald (England) (T9).
71 Brian Davis (England) (T33).
73 Graeme McDowell (N Ireland) (T74).
74 Michael Sim (Scotland/Australia) (T96).
77 Justin Rose (England) (T137).

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NATIONWIDE TOUR EVENT HIT BY STORMY WEATHER

Play on the first day of the US Nationwide Tour event - the South Georgia Classic - at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, Valdosta, Georgia was finally called off for the day after repeated suspensions of play because of the bad weather hitting the east coast of the States.
No-one had completed his round.
Inverness exile Russell Knox, whose second-place finish as a Monday pre-qualifier in the last Nationwide Tour event - the week before last - earned him automatic playing rights on America's No 2 tour, was level par after four holes when he was called in with everybody else.