Snow and freezing rain halted yesterday's play at the $3 million Tucson Open with no golfer completing more than eight holes and an eight-way tie for the lead.

Tournament officials hope to complete the second round of this first full-field event of the 2001 season today, with the third round to be played tomorrow and a fourth and final round on Monday.

Tim Herron and Kevin Sutherland were among the co-leaders at five under par. Both carded five-under 67s and had the same score after two holes yesterday. Ireland's Richard Coughlan had not started his second round when play was suspended.

Herron and Sutherland were joined at the top by Kaname Yokoo of Japan, Lee Porter, Tim Clark, Willie Wood, Australian Geoff Ogilvy and twice Masters champion Bernhard Langer of Germany.

Yokoo completed five holes yesterday, while Porter, Clark and Wood finished just two. Langer fired a four-under 68 on Thursday and birdied his only hole yesterday.

In Kapalua, Hawaii, Justin Leonard carded a six-under-par 67 on Thursday for a one-stroke lead over Ernie Els at the $3.5 million Mercedes Championships.

Billy Andrade, Rory Sabbatini, Michael Clark, Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk were two shots back while Tiger Woods was among a group of 10 golfers on three-under 70.

This tournament is open only to winners of 2000 US PGA Tour events, but with Woods winning nine times last year, the field is composed of just 33 players.

Leonard, who captured the Westin Texas Open, birdied five of the final 10 holes to seize the lead. But the 28-year-old, who has five career victories, endured a rollercoaster start with three birdies and two bogey through the first seven holes.

Included in that wild start were a 15-foot birdie putt at the first, quickly followed by a three-putt at the par-three second.

He righted the ship with a birdie at nine, and added another at the 10th before running off three straight beginning at the 13th. He could have had a two-stroke lead if not for a three-putt at the par-five 18th.

"I just played real solid, drove the ball pretty good," he said.

Els was just one-under at the turn but heated up on the back nine. Birdies at the 12th and 15th sandwiched a 10-foot miss for birdie at the 14th, but he sunk a six-footer for eagle at 18.

Woods began his round with four pars but appeared on his way with back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth.

He gave back a stroke at nine with his only bogey of the round but birdied the 14th and got within three strokes following a birdie at the 18th.