Padraig Harrington makes lightning start to first Major of 2024

Padraig Harrington and Chris DiMarco shared the early lead at seven-under through 13 holes when play was suspended at the Regions Tradition on Thursday in Alabama.

The first major of the PGA Tour Champions season was halted Thursday afternoon due to lightning in the area. The tour decided not to resume play until Friday with all 78 players needing to complete their first rounds before beginning round two.

DiMarco and Harrington are two strokes ahead of Steve Flesch, Fiji's Vijay Singh, Australia's Rod Pampling and South Korea's Y.E. Yang. Flesch was five-under through 16 holes while Singh, Pampling and Yang were five under through 11.

Darren Clarke is back on three under having completed 13 holes.

DiMarco, 55, has yet to win on the PGA Tour Champions. He's never finished better than T33 at the Regions Tradition, yet he had a red-hot start Thursday with seven birdies in 13 holes, including three straight at one point.

While newer to the PGA Tour Champions than Di Marco, the 52-year-old Harrington already has seven wins and one major (the 2022 US Senior Open) in his back pocket. The former World No. 3 started his round on the back nine and racked up four straight birdies at Nos. 13-16 to get going.

Shane Bertsch (15 holes completed), Lee Janzen (15), Marco Dawson (12) and South Africa's Ernie Els (12) are tied at four under.

Steve Stricker, the three-time Tradition winner who won in 2022 and 2023 by six shots, was three under through 11 holes when play halted.