Brian Stuard was the lucky one Thursday in New Orleans.
He finished most of his red-hot round at the TPC Louisiana before heavy rains put everything on hold — for nearly five hours.
Stuard hasn’t done much on the PGA Tour this season. He’s missed the cut in half the events he’s played in and didn’t make it to the weekend in three of his last four outings.
He put a new putter in his bag last week in San Antonio and actually picked up a paycheck, albeit a tie for 55th.
Stuard put up his best round of the season to start his week — an eight-under par 64 that gave him a one-shot edge over 47-year-old Retief Goosen, the two-time U.S. Open champion. “I picked up a new putter last week in San Antonio. I putted well with it and it carried over. Just gotta keep going and see what happens.”
Goosen had a chance to go really low. He shot a six-under par 30 on the front but didn’t do much coming in as he had to wait five hours to play his final four holes.
World’s No. 1 Jason Day continued his roller coaster of inconsistency. Day shot 31 on the front but then derailed his round with four back nine bogeys and a 38 for a yawner of a 69.
Rickie Fowler, fresh off his buddies trip to the Bahamas, opened with 68.
Defending champion Justin Rose started late and worked his way to one-under par through six holes when darkness halted play for the day.
