Weaver, McDowell joint leaders

Woods drops four shots in four holes to lie five strokes off the pace

Two over par after 11 holes when Thursday's first round was suspended because of heavy rain at Bethpage Black, Weaver recorded three birdies in a red-hot finish for a one-under 69.

That left the 22-year-old, making only his third appearance at a major championship, in a tie for the early lead with Britain's Graeme McDowell.

Weaver won the British amateur title in June 2007, two months after 32 people were massacred by a lone gunman at Virginia Tech university.

A junior at Virginia Tech, Weaver was about to enter a classroom building that fateful day when the shooting spree began in another building 100 yards away.

"It's not something we can ever forget," he told reporters. "It will always be in the back of our minds. I think it's something that you learn from and you cope with and I've done a good job of that.” Weaver vaulted up the leaderboard with birdies at the 13th, 16th and the par-three 17th.

Frustrated after dropping four shots in his last four holes, Tiger Woods was mightily relieved he was done for the day.

"The way I feel I don't want to go back out there right now," the triple champion said after carding a four-over-par 74 to lie five off the pace. Probably (I) would be a few clubs light," the world number one added, suggesting he was tempted to bend a few of them in frustration.

Jeev Milkha Singh, smarting under the rough start on the first day, seemed to be bouncing back, but one bad hole did him in as he finished with a disastrous eight-over 78.

Jeev, five-over after eight holes on Thursday, seemed on his way to repairing his scorecard well with birdies on the first two holes on resumption.