Overtime needed as rain hammers Sawgrass

Ryder Cup team-mates Luke Donald and Lee Westwood had hoped to be taking a well-earned rest today – Westwood back in Britain, Donald in Atlanta.

It turned out to be anything but. Both were still at Sawgrass trying to win golf’s richest event and both were having to work overtime.

For the third time in six years the Players Championship in Florida - America’s “Sunshine State” – spilled into a fifth day because of rain, with Donald tied for the lead with American Joe Durant and Westwood only one behind.

Yet the finishing line was still not in sight when they returned to the saturated course to battle for the £800,000 first prize.

All three have 33 holes to play and there remained the possibility that the tournament would extend into Tuesday.

That has not happened on the US Tour for 25 years, but this is the sport’s unofficial fifth major and it was felt right and proper to complete four rounds however long it took.

So far it has taken four days to play two and a bit.

Donald, who missed the halfway cut on his only two previous appearances in the event, and Westwood, who was not even good enough to qualify the past two years, are hoping to become the first European winner of the title since Sandy Lyle in 1987.

It would also, of course, be the perfect boost in confidence just a week before the Masters, the first official major of the season, at Augusta.

Even if a sixth day is needed – the forecast is much better tomorrow – Donald still intends to play in the final warm-up event, the BellSouth Classic starting on Thursday.

“I want to play the week before a major to keep my swing oiled,” he commented.

Westwood, on the other hand, still intends to return home to Worksop to switch off and recharge his batteries for a few days before returning to the States at the start of next week.

Both are also seeking their second US Tour victories and Donald likes to think it is a good omen that his first came on a Monday when the 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic was washed out.

Westwood’s victory came in New Orleans on the eve of the 1998 Masters, but this is the first year he has taken up membership of the circuit.

“It just seemed like the right time to do it,” he said. “The European tour now goes to places like Australia and China and while that’s great because it gives opportunities to the guys I looked at the two schedules and felt I could play both.

“I felt it was going to benefit me for events like this and the Masters – and when I start full-time in Europe again.

“I always seem to come back from the States with my game more finely-tuned and I feel like I improve quicker over here, my short game especially.

“That was the main reason, but I have also got a young family and my little boy (four next month) is going to be more or less full-time in school after this year. It is going to be more difficult for him to go away then.”

Westwood failed to qualify for the Players after his world ranking slumped from fourth to 256th, but he is now pressing the top 20 again.

Asked if he shuddered at the thought of where he was this laid-back individual replied: “No, I never shudder actually.

“That’s one thing that playing poorly for two years taught me – not to do any shuddering, not to worry about it.

“It’s just not something I think about any more. I treat life and golf a lot more light-heartedly than I used to. It’s only a game at the end of the day and you can only try your hardest.”

The stoppage after three holes of his third round yesterday was probably not a bad thing for him. He had found the rough at the first two holes and had just driven into it again off the fourth tee when the siren sounded to tell players another storm was approaching.

Donald, in contrast, looked in good nick still, a two-putt birdie at the long second enabling him to catch 40-year-old Durant on 11 under par.

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell was still in the hunt too. Only playing because he was climbed into the world’s top 50 by coming second in the previous week’s Bay Hill Invitational he stood joint eighth three behind.

But Dubliner Padraig Harrington, runner-up the last two years, had fallen back to 40th on three under, while Masters champion Phil Mickelson was 13th, Ernie Els 32nd and both Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods down in 52nd.

Play was due to resume at 7.15am, but that was weather permitting and the weather has not been in permitting mood much of the time lately.