Jason Day was one of the early pace-setters but the world No. 1 still finished five strokes back of clubhouse leader Brian Stuard at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans Thursday. Australian star Day fired an opening round three-under 69 and is tied for 12th at the rain-hit PGA Tour event where play was delayed for nearly five hours Thursday. Afternoon thunderstorms lashed the TPC Louisiana at Avondale course resulting in 78 players not being able to finish their first rounds. The opening round was to resume early Friday morning and followed immediately by the second round. Day drained a 59-foot birdie on the par-four 16th hole to post his fourth birdie of the day. The most impressive opening round came from Stuard of the United States, who shot a bogey-free eight under 64 to take a one-shot lead over South Africa's Retief Goosen. The 33-year-old journeyman sunk eight birdies and no bogeys in a flawless display. J.J. Henry, Derek Ernst, Charles Howell, Patrick Rodgers and Australia's Geoff Ogilvy are tied for third at 67. Rickie Fowler, New Zealand's Danny Lee and two South Koreans, Noh Seung-Yul and An Byeong-Hun, share eighth place at 68. Hur leads Korean assault In Los Angeles, Hur Mi-jung posted five consecutive birdies around the turn en route to a five-under 66 Thursday to take the lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour's Texas Shootout. The 26-year-old Hur started on the back nine and needed just 27 putts for a one-stroke lead over fellow South Koreans Ryu So-yeon, Ji Eun-hee and American Gerina Piller. Hur led a South Korean assault on the Las Colinas Country Club course as six of the top eight on the leaderboard are from the Korean Peninsula. Hur began her birdie run on the par-four 15th hole. The two-time LPGA Tour winner is looking for her first victory since the 2014 Yokohama Tire Classic. Her other win came almost seven years ago in Portland, Oregon. Ryu shot a near perfect round with a bogey-free four-under 67. Ryu had a tournament course record 63 at the Swinging Skirts last week. She missed just one fairway and one green Thursday. Aguilar in front at China Open In Beijing, Chilean Felipe Aguilar leapt to the top of the Volvo China Open leaderboard with a seven-under-par 65 Friday before the second round was suspended because of bad weather in Beijing. The world No. 477 was 11 under overall, one stroke ahead of Austria's Bernd Wiesberger and Swede Alex Noren in the clubhouse at the Topwin Golf and Country Club. South African journeyman Hennie Otto, whose stunning nine-under-par 63 had given him the first round lead, was still out on the course when dark clouds descended on the Chinese capital. He was on par for the day after 14 holes, slipping back to joint fourth place alongside South Korean Kim Taehoon, who surged 50 places up the board with an impressive 64, including a hole-in-one on the 177-yard 13th.
