Saturday, August 5 2006 15:35 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Grand Blanc: Canada's Mike Weir remained atop the leaderboard after Friday's conclusion of the storm-interrupted first round of the 4.6 million-dollar US PGA Buick Open.

Weir fired a nine-under-par 63 on Thursday to reach the clubhouse a stroke ahead of Fiji's Vijay Singh, the two-time defending champion, and two strokes ahead of Americans Woody Austin, Joe Durant and Brett Quigley.

Tiger Woods, fresh off winning his 11th major title at last month's British Open, completed a 66 Thursday to share sixth with fellow American Arron Oberholser.

Three others - Colombia's Camilo Villegas and Americans Jeff Sluman and Jim Furyk, matched Woods on 66 in rounds first completed Friday as the field teed off for round two in the afternoon hoping to make the cut by sundown.

Some players had not even managed to begin their first round in quest of an 864,000-dollar top prize before play was suspended Thursday at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club.

Weir's bogey-free round put him a stroke ahead of Singh, who seeks his fourth title here after becoming the first man since 1965 to win back-to-back titles at the event.

Woods, the 2002 winner here, has not finished outside the top four in his past four visits. He began the first round with five birdies for the first time since 2000, when he started a run of four major triumphs in a row.