GRAND BLANC, Mich. (AP) – Mike Weir matched his best round of the season with a 9-under 63 to take the lead in the suspended Buick Open, one shot ahead of two-time defending champion Vijay Singh and three in front of Tiger Woods.

Joe Durant, Brett Quigley and Woody Austin were two shots back at 65.

All of the leaders were fortunate to have morning tee times.

The tournament was delayed 2 hours, 16 minutes in the morning because of stormy weather. A second delay lasted 1 hour, 36 minutes in the afternoon before play was suspended for the day because of unplayable conditions.

Just over half of the field was unable to complete the first round and those unlucky golfers will be back on the course early Friday, before the second round begins, with some needing to play 36 holes before the cut is made.

Warwick Hills is always one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour because it’s relatively short and the greens are perfect, players say. Rain softened up the course, allowing players to shoot right at pins even more aggressively than usual.

Woods, coming off his British Open, got off to a strong start with five straight birdies and six on his first 10 holes. After getting to 7 under on his 16th hole, he gave a stroke back after a poor bunker shot and finished at 6-under 66.

Unlike many tournaments Woods plays, his score was not good enough to take the first-round lead.

Weir had four birdies on the front nine and five consecutive on the back to match the opening round he had in February at Pebble Beach, where the Canadian star finished a season-best third. The 2003 Masters champion has had a lackluster year with five top-10 finishes – though one was at the U.S. Open in June. Weir’s last win was the 2004 Nissan Open.

Singh is trying to become the first player to win three straight Buick Opens and four overall.

Woods is playing in his first tournament since his emotional win at Royal Liverpool, where he broke down thinking about his late father, and is two weeks away from trying to win his 12th major at the PGA Championship.

The Buick Open has four of the top five players on the money list, with only Phil Mickelson missing.

AP-ES-08-03-06 1830EDT