US TOUR: Fiji's Vijay Singh opened the defence of his Houston Open title by firing a flawlesseight-under par 64 yesterady to grab the first-round clubhouse lead at the Redstone Golf Club.

Playing his first event since the Masters, the world number two was in brilliant form and closed out his bogey-free round with birdies on three of his final four holes to hold a one-shot edge over Australia's Gavin Coles.

Darren Clarke, trying to rebound from a shocking collapse at last week's Heritage Classic where he double-bogied the last hole handing victory to Peter Lonard, was off to a positive start at one-under through eight holes having started on the 10th.

EUROPEAN TOUR: The Johnnie Walker Classic could be reduced to 54 holes after only three-and-a-half hours play was possible on the opening day of the €1.83 million event in Beijing.

Gusts of wind measured at up to 35mph forced play to be suspended at 10.15am local time with the first group out having completed just 13 holes.

With no sign of improvement in the conditions, tournament officials called off play for the rest of the day at 3.20pm. Weather permitting, play will resume at Pine Valley at 6.30am this morning.

Even with perfect conditions from now on, the second round will extend into Saturday and the third into Sunday, making a Monday finish or reduction to 54 holes a distinct possibility in the event of further problems.

Tournament director Mike Stewart insisted officials had done everything they could to make the course playable after viewing the long-range forecast.

"We were aware there was wind forecast this week but that was for the wind to be at its strongest on Tuesday," Stewart said.

"The second round will go into Saturday and third round hopefully completed on Sunday morning with a conclusion sometime on Sunday evening.

"But it could be an option to reduce the tournament to 54 holes and we will also look at going into Monday."

As well as moving balls on the green, the gusts were causing some of the world's best players in a star-studded field to make some uncharacteristic mistakes.

World number three Ernie Els' approach into the 18th green, for example, was blown way left of the green and led to a bogey five.

That left the South African one over par after nine holes, four shots off the lead held by Australian Adam Scott.

Scott, playing in the group before Els, defied the blustery conditions to card three birdies on the back nine after starting on the 10th.

The 24-year-old had just parred the first when play was suspended, giving him a one-shot lead over France's Jean-Francois Lucquin, Spain's Jose Manuel Lara - playing with borrowed clubs after his were lost on the way to China - and Korea's KJ Choi.

Playing alongside Scott, Sergio Garcia was a shot further back on one under after one birdie and nine pars.

Ryder Cup team-mates Paul Casey and Luke Donald were level par and two over respectively, while 2008 Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo was four over after going to the turn in 40.

Peter Lawrie did not start his round.

SENIORS TOUR: Eamonn Darcy opened with a solid, two-under-par 70 in the Jolie Ville Sharm El Sheikh Open in Egypt to lie seven shots behind England's David J Russell's, who shot a superb nine-under-par 63 yesterday.

The Dubliner is in a tie for 17th place at the Jolie Ville Golf and Resort, with John Curtis, Denis O'Sullivan and Eddie Polland two shots back on level par with Paul Leonard on one over par.