Watson 3 shots behind Funk

Four days after his heart-rending playoff defeat to Stewart Cink at Turnberry, Tom Watson shot a 3-under 67 Thursday to begin his pursuit of a fourth Senior British Open title.

The 59-year-old Watson, who almost became the oldest major champion at the British Open last weekend, was three shots behind leader Fred Funk.

Funk birdied five of his last eight holes, including holing a bunker shot at No. 17, for a 6-under 64 - the lowest opening round in the history of the championship.

Watson was one shot behind Jay Haas and Loren Roberts, and tied with Tom Kite, Jerry Bruner, Greg Norman and Sam Torrance.

Bernhard Langer, who has two Champions Tour wins this year, opened with a 72.

PGA: Kevin Na birdied the final five holes and nine of his last 12 for a 9-under 63 and a two-stroke lead against Retief Goosen, Scott Verplank and Joe Durant during the suspended first round in Oakville, Ontario.

After playing one hole in the morning, Na waited out a 7 1/2 -hour rain delay in the tournament plagued by wet conditions for the second straight year.

Jimmy Walker was 6 under with four holes to go when play was suspended because of darkness. Mike Weir, trying to become the first Canadian to win the national championship since Pat Fletcher in 1954, opened with a 70.

Na closed his first nine, the back nine at Glen Abbey, with birdies on the par-5 16th and 18th, added birdies on Nos. 1 and 2, and birdied the final five for a front-nine 28.

LPGA: Becky Brewerton shot a 5-under 67 and was tied for the first-round lead of the Evian Masters in Evian-Les-Bains, France, while Michelle Wie rescued a disappointing start with two late birdies.

The South Korean duo of Na Yeon Choi and In-Kyung Kim also shot 67s in windy and overcast conditions that forced play to be suspended for one hour because of late-afternoon thunder.

Wie bogeyed Nos. 3, 6 and 13 before birdies on the last two holes for a 73.