British Open runner-up Jean Van de Velde takes cover under an umbrella to read his putt.

The wet conditions for the first six holes of his round hampered visibility, as Haas tried to follow the flight of his own shots.

"The first six holes it rained pretty heavy at times. And you know, just grabbing the club trying to keep the grip dry," Haas said after his opening 68.

"It was dark, too. Not because of it being 7:25 but just because of the cloud cover. I would literally lose the ball on a longer shot. On the second hole, I hit a 4-iron and I could not see the ball on the green. I heard a couple of people clapping and I knew I had hit a good shot, but I couldn't have told you where it ended up," he said.

Tiger Woods, who shot 70, said the soggy conditions allowed him to be more aggressive off the tee.

"I knew that any ball that lands in the fairway will stay in the fairway," Woods said.

"I did put up an umbrella like everybody else. My dad always says, 'You only can get wet once. And once you're wet, you're wet. Just deal with it.' "

Faldo makes some noise
Nick Faldo, who has disappeared from the top ranks of the golf world he once dominated, launched a longshot push to make his 12th Ryder Cup team by shooting a solid 1-under 71 on Thursday.

"I played well tee to green," said Faldo. "I hit some good putts. I didn't make many, but at least I am putting a lot better. My confidence is improving all the time."

Faldo, a three-time winner of both The Masters and British Open and former No. 1 player in the world, has plunged down the World Rankings, where he now stands 193rd. He is a lowly 54th on the European Ryder Cup points list, which graduates its top 10 players onto the Ryder team next week.

Faldo, who has not won a tournament since early 1997, needs to finish at least fifth in the PGA to give himself a chance to qualify on points with a victory in next week's International Open, which closes the Ryder points campaign.

"I'm feeling more positive and that's the best thing about the day," said Faldo, who finished third at Medinah in the U.S. Open in 1990. "I'm trying to do the best I can."

Close call at home
Mike Weir, who lives in Draper, Utah, phoned home after Wednesday's tornado struck Salt Lake City, about a 15-minute drive from his home.

"My wife said she looked outside the window and saw downtown Salt Lake and she thought there was a fire with the black smoke. That was the funnel," Weir said. "It was pretty close."

Weir, one of the rare left-handers on tour, is close to his parents this week. They live in suburban Crystal Lake.

"I like the area. My parents live here just 40 minutes outside of town and I feel very comfortable here definitely. Great restaurants. I love coming here."

No Ryder hope
With all the controversy swirling over the Ryder Cup and whether players should have a say in how revenues are allocated to various charities, Brian Watts just wants the chance to play for the United States.

"I'd die for my country, so I'd really like to play on the Ryder Cup," Watts said.

Watts, who finished second in the 1998 British Open, said he was told earlier this year by the PGA that he's not eligible for the team because his parents were not U.S. citizens at the time of his birth.

Watts was born in Canada but lived there for only six months and is a U.S. citizen.

"It's a dead issue for this year because even if I was accruing points, I think I'd be down there about 40 or 50th on the list," Watts said.

"I've got a lot of support on my side, though. I'm hoping in the future that they will change that rule as I've only lived outside of the country for six months of my life."

Watts said he'd talked with PGA president Will Man and was told the ruling could be changed.

Divots