Friday, July 28 2006 15:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Milwaukee (Wisconsin): Corey Pavin set a PGA Tour scoring record for nine holes here Thursday with a stunning 26 on the front nine at the weather-disrupted US Bank Championship.

He birdied the first six holes, then eight and nine to make the turn at eight-under and went on to post a nine-under 61 before thunderstorms stopped play on the 6,759-yard Brown Deer Golf Club course.

"I kind of messed up seven, didn't I?" Pavin joked.

"I've never done anything like that before," he added.

"It was pretty exciting for me and for those out there watching," he said.

India's Arjun Atwal was in the clubhouse on six-under for the first round, which was suspended in the early afternoon because of the weather.

After a wait of more than four hours, tournament officials suspended play until Friday morning with 106 golfers still on the course.

Pavin's feat added lustre to a tournament missing the game's big names, as newly crowned British Open champion Tiger Woods joined his elite rivals in taking the week off after the year's third major championship.

Their absence clearly didn't matter to Pavin, one of the shortest hitters on tour who has had an inconsistent putter this season but found a rhythm Thursday.

"My caddie Eric Schwartz came back on the bag after a six-month layoff (four weeks ago) at Hartford," he said. "We've worked really hard on the flat stick," he said.

Pavin sank some bombs. He drained a 35-footer at the par-four first hole, a 38-footer at the par-four fourth and a 29-footer at the par-three fifth.

"It was amazing," he said.

"I made two really long putts on No. 1 and No. 4, I think," he said.

"Other that that, I hit good shots close and converted the putts. It was a magical nine and very exciting for me," he said.

"He was playing right behind me and we were waiting on most of the holes," said Atwal, whose own 64 included seven birdies.

"I looked back and it was fun to watch," he said.

Pavin broke the nine-hole record of 27 shared by four players, done most recently by Robert Gamez at the 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

He made the turn needing just three birdies on the backside to reach the magical 59, achieved by just three players in official events.

"I was thinking it after the birdie on eight," Pavin said.

"I tried to keep it out of my mind, but it was hard. I tried not to think too much about it," he said.

Pavin opened the back nine with six straight pars before a birdie at the par-three 16th. He closed with two more pars.

"I knew 59 was a possibility and I tried to keep those voices away," he said.

"I was just trying to hit each shot the best I could. I got a little nervous from time to time," he said.

Skip Kendall and Cameron Beckman each shot 65 and South African David Frost was also at five-under with one hole to play.

Pavin's round also broke the course record of 62 set last year by Ben Crane, who took the first-round lead and cruised to his second career title. Crane parred his first hole before the rains came.