PITTSBURGH — Fred Couples roared through his first 11 holes in the second round of the Senior Players Championship on Friday, ripping off seven birdies at water-logged Fox Chapel to take the lead.

Then the weather managed to do what the defenseless course could not, stopping the Hall of Famer with a sudden downpour that suspended play for the day with most of the field still on the course.

The stoppage came just after Couples hit his tee shot on the par-3 third. The sky cleared in about an hour, but with fairways and bunkers resembling ponds and the threat of more storms looming, officials decided to send players home rather than wait out a lengthy delay to squeeze in a few more holes.

Couples understood the decision but allowed he was in the middle of something special when play was stopped.

“Rounds like this don’t happen very often,” Couples said.

Instead Couples was left to mull the 60-foot birdie putt that awaits when he and the 65 other players whose rounds were interrupted return to the course at 8 a.m. Saturday.

“I was hitting the ball well,” Couples said. “But you can look at the bright side tomorrow and hope to get it going again.”

He was 11 under.

First-round leader John Huston was two shots back at 9 under after making an eagle from the rough on the par-4 15th hole just before the horn sounded. It was Huston’s second eagle in two days on a par 4. He eagled No. 7 on Thursday when he drove the green and made a 25-footer.

This one was a bit more unexpected after Huston pushed his tee shot to the right and it sailed into thick rough that bore more than a passing resemblance to soggy cabbage. His sand wedge from 100 yards caught the ball clean and it dropped into the hole on the fly, no roll required.

“It was pretty shocking because it flew in the hole and stayed there,” Huston said.