LPGA washed out, setting up 36-hole Sunday finish

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) _ Jennifer Rosales wanted to build on her one-shot lead Friday in the LPGA Championship. Instead, she did her laundry. <br/><br/>Steady, overnight rain filled bunkers with water and

Friday, June 11th 2004, 5:45 am

By: News On 6

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) _ Jennifer Rosales wanted to build on her one-shot lead Friday in the LPGA Championship. Instead, she did her laundry.

Steady, overnight rain filled bunkers with water and left DuPont Country Club so saturated that the maintenance crew couldn't even mow the fairways and greens. With more rain in the forecast and 144 women in the field, tournament officials decided to take the day off.

``I think it's better, instead of going out there and pulling us off (the course) again,'' Rosales said.

Tournament officials said the second round would resume Saturday with the same groups and same tee times. The cut will remain the top 70 and ties, who face 36 holes on Sunday.

``My hope is we have a very small cut, and the players play quickly,'' tournament director Alice Miller said.

The LPGA Tour was criticized in 1996 when it shortened the McDonald's LPGA Championship to 54 holes because of rain. It was the only time an LPGA major has not gone 72 holes.

The postponement means the tournament likely will not finish by the time its television coverage on CBS Sports goes off the air at 6 p.m. Sunday.

``We regret that situation,'' said Barb Trammel, vice president of tournament operations for the LPGA Tour. ``We do have an opportunity to complete 72 holes by Sunday at dark. And that's our first objective.''

This is the fourth consecutive year that rain has interrupted the LPGA Championship, and the second straight year the players face a long final round. A year ago, most of the third round was washed out by rain and Annika Sorenstam had to play 34 holes Sunday _ one in a playoff _ before winning.

``It will get to you,'' Rosales said. ``The last time I played 36 holes was the U.S. Open qualifier three years ago. It's tough. At least we get to put in 72 holes, which is good in a major tournament.''

Rosales, who opened with a 5-under 66, showed up at the course and noticed no one was on the practice range. She learned of the delay and headed back to her room.

``I just did my laundry,'' she said in a telephone interviews. ``I'm going to have lunch and watch a movie.''

She has a one-shot lead over Karen Stupples, Gloria Park and Chiharu Yamaguchi.

Sorenstam and Grace Park were among those at 68.

DuPont will go through a major renovation after the tournament is over, and club officials are hopeful it will lead to better drainage on the course. Only 1.1 inches of rain fell overnight, and it was so quiet that ``most of us slept through it,'' LPGA rules official Janet Lindsay said.

Still, she knew problems awaited.

The start of the second round was delayed one hour, then officials announced a three-hour delay before realizing there was no way to get the course ready.

``The bunker crews had already been out numerous times to try to pump bunkers,'' Lindsay said. ``Just as they would get a bunker prepped, the rain would accumulate again and they would have to start over.''

If the weather looked even a little promising late Friday afternoon, Trammell said to ask half the field play in sloppy conditions _ with good weather forecast for Saturday _ would be unfair.

The LPGA Championship will go to Monday if necessary to complete 72 holes, but Trammell says the tournament should end well before darkness Sunday.