Rain could wash out Californian dreams

The third round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California was abandoned yesterday after further torrential rain and with the weather forecasters predicting severe storms over the next few days, Richard Coughlan and Keith Nolan's chances of winning some money in their first US PGA Tour event are in the lap of the gods.

Veteran Tom Watson and unheralded Tim Herron shared the lead after two rounds. Herron carded a six-under 66 and Watson, a two-time winner of this event, shot a 67 for a 10-under total of 134.

Nolan and Coughlan carded 70s on Saturday as the sun shone for the second day in succession, an unusual occurrence this week, in an area that has been soaked by 20 inches of rain in the past six months, already more than the annual average. Nolan, playing at Spyglass Hill, started at the 10th and was one under par 35 for his first nine holes, making birdies at the 10th and 15th while dropping a shot at the par five 11th.

Another dropped shot at the sixth saw last year's Irish strokeplay champion slip back to one over for the tournament but he fought back with two birdies in the last three holes to salvage a respectable score and get back under par for the two rounds.

"I'm playing well but making too many stupid mistakes because I haven't been playing competitively for a while," said Nolan afterwards. "I just need to tighten things up a little and play well. I'm hitting loose shots and missing too many greens. I'm not playing the par fives well and if you are going to compete out here you have to play them well. I guess I am two over on them this week.

"Right now I am first alternate for next week's tournament in San Diego, so I should get in okay. I'm going to go down there and practice and if I don't get in I'll fly to Hawaii early and practice there."

Richard Coughlan duplicated his compatriot's Nolan's opening to the second round when dropped a shot at the par five 10th on the Poppy Hills course. He missed the green with his second shot, chipped too strongly and then took three to get down.

This gave no indication of the fireworks that were to come from Tullamore man, who fired three birdies in the space of four holes from the 14th, and just failed to make it four out of five at the par five 18th. At the 14th Coughlan confidently rolled in a 15-footer, at the 16th he almost holed out with his second shot - the ball spinning back to finish nine inches from the cup - and at the next, a 163yard downhill par three, he holed from 35 feet for his two.

The excitement in the Coughlan camp subsided briefly until he reached the sixth, his 15th, where he made another birdie two, to go five under. A three putt at the seventh checked Coughlan's progress, but after nearly losing his ball in the deep wet rough at the ninth he was happy with his overall performance.

"I'm just exhausted. It's such a grind. It's crazy out there, it's taking so long and my legs are killing me. Your ball striking has to be spot on because if you hit it any way fast you are in trouble with all the water, and the greens are really bumpy.

"After bogeying the first hole I am delirious with two under for the day and I would certainly have taken four under after two rounds at the beginning of the week. I missed a two-footer at the first, I didn't mark it? I usually don't do that, much less the first hole."

Asked if it was a case of what might have been, with no birdies coming his way on any of the five par fives at Poppy Hills, Coughlan said: "They are not easy. They are tough to hit in two."

Brazilian Adilson da Silva came from five shots behind in the final round to win the Wild Coast Challenge at port Edward, South Africa yesterday. He secured his second professional title in style with a 25-foot birdie putt at the last for a round of 66 and a 72-hole total of 274, as South African Clinton Whitelaw pressed the self-destruct button. Whitelaw was three shots clear with three to play but the pressure told and he double-bogeyed on the 18th when needing a birdie to force a play-off. "It just goes to show that even a blind rabbit can find a hole sometimes," said da Silva.