Rain delays final round in Akron

The final round of the Bridgestone world championship in Akron, brought forward four and a half hours because of the threat of bad weather, was delayed by 90 minutes today because of the conditions.

Heavy rain started in the early hours and was still falling when play was due to begin at 7.30am local time.

Stewart Cink, who won two years ago six days after being handed a Ryder Cup wild card, was looking to do the same.

At nine under par, he led by one from Paul Casey, Davis Love and defending champion Tiger Woods, whose Saturday 71 was his first over-par score in his last 18 rounds. It contained four successive bogeys – something that has not happened to him since the 1996 Tour Championship.

Casey had burst into contention with a six under 64 and had hopes of celebrating his clinching of a second Ryder Cup cap by taking the first prize of more than $1.3m (€1m).

For other Europeans the 12-month Ryder Cup race was very still very much alive with only one week to go.

Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Jose Maria Olazabal are eighth, ninth and 10th in the table.

Olazabal was going best of the three in joint 33rd place, but although a top 25 finish would lift him to fifth in the standings he is not playing in the BMW International starting in Munich on Thursday and could be knocked out of the team altogether.