Briny Baird retained his two-stroke lead in the Viking Classic after completion of the first round Friday morning. Lightning delayed the first round by nearly 3 hours Thursday and 55 golfers were on the course when play was suspended by darkness. Only one player, Craig Barlow, managed to make significant progress up the leaderboard Friday morning. Baird shot an opening-round record 9-under 63 Thursday and led 2001 champion Cameron Beckman by two strokes. Four others, including defending champion D.J. Trahan and Barlow, were three back at 66.

Gavin Coles was alone at 5-under 67 and 13 others were tied at 4-under 68 going into the second round.

Baird broke the previous first-day record held by five others after he birdied four of his first five holes and hit 17 of 18 greens. He used his unorthodox putting style - he essentially stands on one foot while putting - to give himself some separation from the field. He made at least four birdie putts from 15 feet or more.

Baird said he usually doesn't have that kind of success with the putter.

"If I was always this successful putting I'd be talking about how many wins I have and how many cars I have," Baird said with a laugh.

Baird, seeking his first win on the PGA Tour, is 106th on the money list with one top-10 finish, the AT&T Classic in May when he tied for ninth. He's had four top-25 finishes this year, and acknowledged he's been better on Thursday and Friday than over the weekend.

"Made a lot of cuts and just haven't done a lot with it," said Baird, who has made 21 cuts in 26 tournaments this year. "It can be frustrating, but it's also frustrating if you miss a lot of cuts. It's such a humbling game. It can be such a frustrating game as well as rewarding at times."

Now the key is finding a way to remain consistent into the weekend.

"There's times you're playing and your score can be really good, but you're just not comfortable with your play," he said. "I had a couple of breaks today, but I feel real comfortable with the way I played, so hopefully that will carry over into the next three days."

While Baird is looking for comfort at Annandale, Beckman and Trahan have already found it. Both said they feel right at home here and hope that gives them a boost as they chase Baird into the weekend.

"For some guys it's just about feel," said Trahan, who played a bogey-free round with a badly sprained and swollen finger. "For some reason you get on a golf course and every particular shot - tee ball or second shot - seems to fit your eye and for some reason you're very comfortable. This is that kind of course for me."

Trahan, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., has a 12th-place finish to go with last year's win in the tournament formerly known as the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. And Beckman, of San Antonio, has four top-25 finishes and the 2001 tournament title at Annandale.

"I've played a lot of good rounds at this course," Beckman said. "I really like the course. I'm hitting the ball really well."

Other notables in the field were Jesper Parnevik and John Daly, who were among the large group at 4 under. And former world No. 1 David Duval was at even-par 72 in his first appearance on tour since February after taking a seven-month break to be with his wife during a difficult pregnancy.

"I feel like I'm closer to playing well than I am to playing poorly," Duval said.