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 defenceless 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 dont 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 Hustons 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. Couples stressed he wont be getting ahead of himself as he searches for his second win at Senior Players, one of the Champions Tour five majors. He led at the halfway point on the same course last year, shooting a second-round 63 only to slip on the weekend and finish fourth behind winner Joe Daley. With the forecast calling for more rain over the weekend, Couples knows the rolling course a few miles north of downtown Pittsburgh wont be able to put up much of a fight. It certainly didnt Friday thanks to a steady stream of showers that have turned what is supposed to be one of the better tests on the tour into target practice. Officials allowed players to lift, clean and place their golf balls and, with the greens welcoming shots of all shapes, low scores were plentiful. Over half the field was even par or better for the day when the thunderstorm arrived. Though the conditions favoured longer hitters like Couples and Huston, the accommodating greens allowed short-hitting Jeff Hart to rise into contention. The 53-year-old shot a season-best 5-under 65 and was the leader in the clubhouse at 7 under. Not bad for a player who was hitting fairway woods and long irons onto some of the lengthier par 4s. He hit a 3-wood to 5 feet on the 475-yard eighth hole and made the putt, then knocked a 4-iron within a foot on the 422-yard 16th. Hart hit 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. The 53-year-old grinder has never finished in the top 10 in a Champions Tour event but is coming off a solid 15th-place finish at the Encompass Championship last week. He pointed to a change in mindset to the uptick in his play. "Im finally learning to try less and less," he said. "I think thats the key for me. I think were all conditioned to try harder and in all sports youre told to get in there, try harder and certainly golf is no different. But Im just kind of letting it go right now and thats the key." Duffy Waldorf was also 7 under with four holes remaining in his second round. Fred Funk, Mike Goodes and Michael Allen were 6 under, with points leader David Frost and Russ Cochran one shot back at 5 under. Colin Montgomerie, making his Champions Tour debut, moved into a tie for 10th with Corey Pavin and Mark Calcavecchia at 4 under after rolling in birdies on his first five holes. Justin Verlander Astros Jersey . Their 9-19 record remains identical to the crosstown rivals in Brooklyn and trails both Toronto and Boston in the Atlantic Division. Raymond Felton, their declining point guard, is back on the sideline nursing his third injury of the season. Roy Oswalt Jersey . 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The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves.Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Russell Westbrook made an emphatic return to the court, pouring in 32 points in just 24 minutes to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 105-78 blowout of the punchless New York Knicks at Chesapeake Energy Arena. In his first game back since fracturing his right hand on Oct. 30, Westbrook went 12-of-17 from the field while amassing eight assists and seven rebounds and providing a much-needed spark to the injury-plagued Thunder, who won consecutive games for the first time this season. The Knicks, meanwhile, struggled mightily on offense with their star out of the lineup. As Carmelo Anthony sat out a second straight contest with back spasms, New York shot a meager 38.7 percent and missed 17-of-19 attempts from 3-point range to fall for the 12th time in 14 games. Amare Stoudemire was New Yorks lone bright spot, recording 20 points on 7- of-8 shooting and pulling down nine rebounds. Serge Ibaka added 14 points and Jeremy Lamb had 13 off the bench in the Thunders wire-to-wire win. Steven Adams posted 13 rebounds. Westbrook wasted little time making an impact, dropping in 12 points over the games first eight minutes as the Thunder sped out to a 23-6 lead. The All- Star point guard finished the opening quarter with 14 points and four assists while hitting 6-of-7 shots.dddddddddddd While Westbrook was red-hot, the Knicks were ice cold over the initial 12 minutes. New York made a woeful 4-of-22 tries from the floor while falling behind 30-13 at periods end. Those struggles continued into the early stages of the second quarter, which began with a 10-0 Oklahoma City run in which Lamb sunk a pair of threes. The Thunder led by as many as 28 during the frame before cruising into the break owning a commanding 59-33 advantage. The Knicks continued to miss shots during a third quarter in which they managed just 17 points to trail 82-50 heading into the fourth. Oklahoma City was ahead by as much as 37 in the final stanza, building a 98-61 lead with five minutes to play. Game Notes The Knicks are now 1-6 at Chesapeake Energy Arena since the Thunder relocated to Oklahoma City from Seattle ... J.R. Smith, starting in place of Anthony, mustered just two points while going 1-of-9 from the floor ... Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 11 points off the bench for the Knicks ... Lamb went 3-for-4 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. ' ' '