PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Lee Janzen is coming up on the 10-year anniversary of one of his biggest victories, a steady performance in the final round at The Olympic Club in San Francisco that brought him his second U.S. Open title.

That also was his last victory, and there are times it seems longer than a decade ago.

Janzen has been mired in a slump so bad that he lost his PGA Tour card two years ago, hasn't finished in the top 125 on the money list the last three years and now is having to rely on sponsor exemptions.

A start like Thursday brought some hope, even if he didn't finish his first round of the PODS Championship.

Playing on a sponsor's exemption, in a stretch of competing three out of four weeks, Janzen holed a 65-foot putt from the fringe on the third hole, never came seriously close to making a bogey and found himself at 5-under par through 15 holes when play was suspended by darkness following a 2Z\x-hour storm delay.

"I've worked on my game for quite a while," Janzen said. "Eventually, you have to shoot better scores."

He still hasn't posted a score on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook. Because of the rain that softened the greens even more, no one from the afternoon wave of players finished. They were to return this morning to see if anyone could catch Bart Bryant, who opened with a 65 for the clubhouse lead.

John Senden, a runner-up last year, was at 4 under. Steve Stricker missed three putts inside 12 feet and still was rallying from a slow start to reach 3 under. The delay might have affected Ernie Els the most. He bogeyed his first two holes when play resumed, then finished with a birdie to get back to even par.

John Daly was at 3 over, unable to make a birdie no matter who he used as a caddie. Daly was 2 over through three holes when play was stopped by rain for the first time on the PGA Tour this year. He headed for the Hooters hospitality tent, ran into Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, and Gruden wound up on the bag until dark.

Janzen has been living a nightmare, but he hopes there are signs of turning things around.

Bryant didn't allow himself to get dejected after a few errant shots early in his round Thursday, especially when he saved par both times that him his score at even par and his spirits in good shape. When he started hitting it better, he made putts. And before he knew it, he was at 4 under with three holes to play.

Then came birdies at the 16th and 18th holes, two of the toughest at Innisbrook.

"I felt like I got my bad stuff out of the way and I was still even par," Bryant said. "I think that gave me a little confidence."