Bryant feeling healthy, takes early lead in PODS Championship

Bart Bryant got his bad shots out of the way early and birdied his last two holes Thursday for a 6-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead among early starters who were lucky to beat the rain in the PODS Championship.

Bryant twice escaped with pars through six holes, and he wasn't paying that much attention to his card until he realized he was 4 under. Then came birdies on two of the toughest holes at Innisbrook, including a 15-foot putt on the 18th, and he found himself atop the leaderboard.

"I felt like I got my bad stuff out of the way and I was still even par," Bryant said. "I think that gave me a little confidence."

Ernie Els, coming off a victory in the Honda Classic that ended 47 tournament winless streak on the U.S. tour, was part of the afternoon wave that did not finish the first round because of a 2 1/2-hour storm delay.

Els made two straight bogeys when he returned to the course, and finished his day with a birdie at No. 11 to return to even par.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen, who has not had full status on the U.S. tour since 2006, made good use of his sponsor's exemption with five birdies that left him one stroke behind with three holes remaining.

John Daly, another player without a card but no shortage of exemptions, was 3 over through 10 holes when the rain came. After he retuned, he three-putted from the front of the 18th green for another bogey.

The first round was scheduled to resume at 7:30 a.m. Friday. It was the first time rain has halted play on the tour this year.

Rain earlier in the week took some of the bite out of the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, regarded as one of the toughest tour tracks in Florida, and rarely has it played this easy.

Kenny Perry hobbled around on a hip that felt like it was shooting volts down his leg, but he managed seven birdies in a round of 66, tied with Jeff Maggert and Stewart Cink.

Cink was playing for the first time since losing to Tiger Woods at the Accenture Match Play Championship, and while he suffered the worst beating in the 10-year history of the final match (8 and 7), he figured this was a continuation of good play.

"I had a lot of confidence after Match Play," Cink said. "Even losing the last match, I was happy to be in the last match."

Carl Pettersson, who won at Innisbrook in 2005, and Jonathan Byrd were among those at 67. Jerry Kelly was 4 under through four holes when play was halted.

The good news for Bryant is that he's hitting shots without feeling too much pain. It seems every time he recovers from one surgery, another body part starts hurting, which was the case last year.

Bryant said his right hip was in such bad shape that he took two months off during the summer. When he returned, his right elbow was acting up again, and he couldn't practice the last three months of the season.

"No practice, just playing," the 45-year-old said. "This year, I've been able to start hitting balls. My health has been good."