Rain which fell overnight continued through the early part of the round and Leonard, among others, was having his work cut out to survive the axe, which was expected to fall at four or five over par at the end of the day.

The field will be reduced to the top 70 and ties and anyone within 10 shots of the lead.

The 26-year-old Texan shot a disappointing three-over-par first round of 73 in the best of the weather yesterday and he dropped another shot on the first hole of the second round.

He parred the next five holes, then had a birdie two at the short seventh to return to three under.

The rain was forecast to stop before midday but there was a chance of further showers during the afternoon with the wind picking up and gusting strongly.

Joint overnight leaders Tiger Woods and John Huston, who shot an identical 65 yesterday, wereboth playing in the afternoon with 1997 Masters champion Woods likely to catch the worst of the weather if the forecast holds good.

Fred Couples, one of three players sharing second place after opening rounds of 66, dropped a shot at the first hole of his second round.

Current Masters champion, Mark O'Meara maintained his overnight position of two under-par with a birdie and a bogey through the first five holes but Lee Janzen, the US Open champion, double-bogeyed the first hole to be four over par.

Ballesteros, Watson lose

Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros, with eight British Open titles between them, lost their way badly on the first day of the 1998 event yesterday.

Three-times winner Ballesteros frayed his tee shots into the Royal Birkdale rough, sighing theatrically, while playing partner Watson, five titles already under his belt, bellowed at himself as he zigzagged from one side of the course to another.

Watson and Ballesteros, with a combined age of 89, both finished three over on 73while Steve Stricker, the junior partner at 31, showed the old hands how the game should be played with a steady, par 70.

"Hit straight, hit straight," Watson shouted at himself at the sixteenth as he bogeyed.

The 48-year-old American and the golfer most youngsters still seek to emulate, found the bunkers five times yesterday as his sure touch deserted him on the back nine.

Compatriot Stricker fumbled nervously at first in front of the two big name old-timers but blossomed as Ballesteros began firing his tee-shots into the rough.

The Spaniard invariably pulled off stunning second shots to save par - on one occasion playing a stroke more at home in baseball as he lashed the ball from a waist-high bank.

But the constant scrambling eventually punished the 41-year-old and he ended his three-over round in front of an adoring crowd at the 18th with a humiliating three-putt.

Watson started strongly and had just hit his first birdie on the seventh when catastrophe struck in the form of a double bogey atthe next.

The normally unflappable American drove his tee-shot into left-hand bunker and then only just managed to blast out onto the lip. His shot from there ended up in a greenside bunker and he needed all his experience to avoid a triple bogey.

While this was going on, Ballesteros was occupying the other bunker on the eighth while stricker - puzzled by the amount of sand flying around - stuck to the middle of the fairway.

Ballesteros, whose form has dipped alarmingly over the past three years, said he only had himself to blame: "I hit three bad tee shots for my three early bogeys...I did not putt very well."

Watson was equally tough on himself: "A lot of bunkers. I struggled on a few holes and I never really got going. I putted well, but did not keep the ball in play enough," said the winner of eight Majors.

Stricker, meanwhile, calmly carded a par round to keep him in contention for his first.

Harmeet Kahlon to play in Italy
NEW DELHI: India's leading amateur golfer Harmeet Kahlonwill take part in the Italian Golf Amateur Championship at Bogogno, Italy from September 16-20. Kahlon has been invited to participate in the prestigious international event by virtue of his being the Asia-Pacific champion.

Kahlon has been performing well internationally in recent years and has claimed titles in Singapore and Pakistan.