Posted: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 07:23 PM - 7,738 Readers

By: Austin American-Statesman

Scott Roudebush did not expect to have Saturday off, but that's what has happened because of Friday's rain, which created havoc with the first round of play in the Firecracker Open at Austin's Lions Municipal.

Roudebush, the defending tournament champion, teed off in the second group of the day at 8:20 a.m. Friday. He had just completed play at 1:30 p.m. with a solid 6-under round of 65, when the rain began to fall.

Then it rained harder and harder, and players were called off the course. Only 28 of the 140 players in the championship division had finished their round.

At 3:15 p.m. tournament officials called it a day, with most of the course underwater and unplayable.

Officials considered washing out the entire first round . Ultimately, they decided that Friday's completed scores would stand and other players will report to Muny at 9 a.m. today to resume play where they left off .

They will complete the first round today, weather permitting, in what is now a 36-hole tournament .

Players who finished their first round Friday, like Roudebush, won't play today. They will be back Sunday for the final round.

"The course is just unplayable today, and we actually will have a lot of work to do to get it ready for Saturday," said Lloyd Morrison, the longtime head professional at Lions Municipal.

"We are trying to do what is fair and will make most of the players happy. It's a tough situation, but \u2026 we can't run this tournament to Monday . "

Roudebush said that patience is a key factor in contending at the Firecracker. He will have to put that to the test with the weather challenge.

"There is a process to doing well or winning this tournament," said Roudebush, an Austin native who will be a senior at TCU. "You have to be patient and wait for your chances when they come.

"On this course you should get a lot of looks at birdies . You just have to take advantage when you get those looks. "