Las Vegas Golf Invitational : Brown’s 64 Leads Finishers of Storm-Plagued Round

Ken Brown of Great Britain put on a fast finish for a 64 and the lead Wednesday in the storm-interrupted and incomplete first round of the $1.3 million Las Vegas Invitational.

Play was held up for almost three hours by a series of early afternoon thunderstorms that struck this desert resort with rain, wind and lightning and disrupted the tournament schedule.

Officials eventually called play at 6:30 p.m. with half the field of 156 pros and 624 amateurs stranded on the three courses used for the first three rounds of this event.

They marked their positions and were due to return at 9 a.m. today to complete first-round play. Due to the size of the field--and a forecast calling for more thunderstorms--no further play is scheduled today. The second round of the 5-day, 90-hole tournament is set for Friday.

PGA Tour officials said no decision has been made on the tournament schedule beyond Friday, or whether the tournament will be reduced to 72 holes.

Brown, who splits his season between the American and European tours, made the turn in 34, then had six birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the back nine.

Denis Watson of South Africa, the 1984 winner here, birdied the final hole to take second among the Wednesday finishers at 65. Watson, like Brown, played at the Las Vegas Country Club.

Bob Tway, Mark Pfeil and Leonard Thompson were at 66.