Donald takes a rain check

Golf/US Tour: It must seem like a scene out of the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day.

Yesterday, as thunderstorms hit the Atlanta area, play was suspended in the first round of the BellSouth Classic, the eighth time on the PGA Tour this year that a tournament has been affected by weather. And, for one player at least, it was enough to force him to take a rain check.

Luke Donald had intended to play in this $5 million tournament, the last preparation for next week's US Masters where the 27-year-old, who is seventh on the tour money list with $1,360,428, will make his debut.

He even competed in the pro-am on Wednesday, although admitting to being "physically and mentally tired" after the exertions of the Players, where he finished tied-second to Fred Funk.

Yesterday, though, brought a change of intentions. With the tournament likely to be further affected today by more thunderstorms, Donald decided to withdraw before a shot was hit so that he could focus his attention on the Masters, where he has scheduled a practice round with two-time champion Bernhard Langer on Monday. He's also lined up a round with Sergio Garcia and Augusta native Charles Howell.

"Obviously I'm trying to play with people who have a good track record or know the course quite well, and maybe I can get a little bit of inside info off of them," said Donald. "I've known Bernhard a few years now, but we obviously came to be closer once he captained the Ryder Cup. There's not too many players out here that, you know, work harder at course management and know where to miss it, where not to miss it. Having won two Masters himself, he should know Augusta pretty well. So I thought he would be a good guy to play with.

"It'd be good to pick up one or two things that could save you a couple of shots. Augusta is a little different from other courses. I played there a couple of weeks ago and the pin positions are going to be very tough. It's going to take a little bit of local knowledge . . . when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive. Things like that. But I'm sure I could learn something from Bernhard."