Robert Allenby shot a four-under-par 66 to take a narrow lead during the first round of the Honda Classic.
Allenby birdied the final hole at PGA National Champion Course to grab a one-shot advantage over six players including Spaniard Sergio Garcia and Stewart Cink before play was suspended due to darkness with nine players left on the course.
They will conclude their rounds early on Friday before the second round begins as scheduled.
"I was very happy to hit a six iron at the last to six inches, and just tap it in and walk away," said Allenby, who was four under through 13 holes before alternating two birdies and two bogeys over his final four holes.
"I'm happy with four under.
I think any time you shoot under par around this golf course, you're doing well.
"I think four under is a fantastic start. It puts me in great stead for the next three days."
Allenby has not won on the PGA Tour since 2001 but the Australian enjoyed nine top-10 finishes in 2008.
Garcia is looking to rebound from a stunning first-round exit in last week's WGC-Accenture Match Play.
The world number two reeled off four birdies on his opening nine holes but could only manage eight pars and a bogey on the back nine.
"I still felt like I played great on the back nine, and I shot one over," Garcia said.
"That tells you everything about this course, and the last four or five holes are quite tough. I was happy to finish three under, and it's a good start."
Unlike Garcia, Cink is looking to build on an impressive showing at the Match Play in which he finished third.
The American was flawless on the front nine with four birdies but bogeyed the 14th and 16th before sinking a birdie on the par-5 18th hole to grab a temporary share of the lead.
"It's the kind of course where you are going to be thrown some curves, and you need to adapt and roll with the punches, so to speak, and that's what I was able to do today out there," Cink said.
"I made birdies when I had opportunities, and then when I hit it crooked, I was fortunate a few times where I had a shot from the rough or from the trees."
Also at three-under are Charlie Wi, Jeff Overton, Angel Cabrera and Will MacKenzie.
Defending champion Ernie Els, who came from three strokes back to edge Luke Donald by a stroke last year, signed for a 73 after making two birdies against five bogeys.
Els has had a solid start to the new season, reaching the quarter-finals at the Match Play and finishing in a tie for eighth at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship.
Rory McIlroy, playing in his first strokeplay event on the US Tour, is very much in the hunt on level par but it could have been so much better for the teenager.
The 19-year-old from Northern Ireland was two under par and only two strokes behind Allenby when he ran up a triple bogey six on the short 17th.
McIlroy's tee shot kicked off a bank and was lucky to stay just out of the lake by the green. But, after putting his waterproofs on, his second shot failed to make it up and rolled back into the water.
He was still able to play it, but his next attempt flew into a bunker on the other side and by failing to get up and down from there he fell to one over par.
However, McIlroy, who reached the quarter-finals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play on his first appearance in America as a professional last week, was on in two with two superb blows at the 604-yard last and two-putted for a level par 70.
Latest first round scores in the USPGA Tour The Honda Classic, PGA National Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, United States of America
(USA unless stated, par 70):
(Note: The first round has been suspended due to darkness, this round will resume Friday, March 6 at 7:45 am local time. Round 2 will begin as scheduled)
66 Robert Allenby (Aus)
67 Will MacKenzie, Charlie Wi (Kor), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Jeff Overton, Stewart Cink, Angel Cabrera (Arg)
68 Y. E Yang (Kor), Kent Jones, Chris Riley, David Mathis
69 Chris Stroud, John Merrick, John Senden (Aus), Billy Mayfair, Heath Slocum, John Mallinger, Brian Bateman, D.A. Points, Jeff Klauk, Steve Marino, John Rollins, Michael Allen, Nathan Green (Aus), Nicholas Thompson
70 Michael Letzig, Brad Adamonis, Bart Bryant, Woody Austin, Darren Clarke (NIrl), James Nitties (Aus), Kevin Streelman, Ben Crane, Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Bob Estes, Jeff Maggert, Justin Leonard, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Shaun Micheel, Brandt Jobe
71 Jerry Kelly, Lucas Glover, Joe Ogilvie, David Berganio Jnr., Matt Kuchar, Alex Cejka (Ger), Tim Wilkinson (Nzl), Tadd Fujikawa, J J Henry, George McNeill, Paul Goydos, Brett Quigley, Johnson Wagner, Jonathan Byrd, Shingo Katayama (Jpn)
72 Spencer Levin, Bill Lunde, Robert Garrigus, Brian Gay, Gary Woodland, Harrison Frazar, Todd Hamilton, Greg Owen (Eng), Boo Weekley, Briny Baird, Brendon De Jonge, Scott McCarron, Tim Herron, Chris DiMarco, Steve Lowery, Jason Dufner, Scott Piercy, Cliff Kresge, J.B. Holmes, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe), John Huston, Carl Pettersson (Swe)
73 Aron Price (Aus), Nick O'Hern (Aus), Tommy Armour III, Derek Fathauer, Justin Rose (Eng), Marc Leishman (Aus), Ernie Els (Rsa), Ryan Palmer, Martin Laird (Sco), Eric Axley, Davis Love III, Greg Chalmers (Aus), Richard S Johnson (Swe), Andres Romero (Arg), Olin Browne, Camilo Villegas (Col), Scott Verplank, Rocco Mediate
74 Brian Davis (Eng), Jonathan Kaye, Ted Purdy, Alan Morin, Greg Kraft, Matt Bettencourt, Peter Lonard (Aus), Mark Calcavecchia, Jimmy Walker, Ken Duke, Marc Turnesa, Stuart Appleby (Aus)
75 Brad Faxon, Steve Flesch, Jose Coceres (Arg), Jay Williamson, Troy Matteson, Mark Wilson, James Oh (Kor)
76 Robert Gamez, Peter Tomasulo, Ricky Barnes, Billy Andrade, Chris Couch, Chez Reavie
77 Brian Vranesh, Bill Haas, Tim Petrovic, Scott Gutschewski, Tom Pernice Jnr., Ryan Moore, Jason Bohn
78 Glen Day, Matt Weibring
79 Vaughn Taylor, Brandt Snedeker
81 Sal Spallone
82 David Duval
89 Mathias Gronberg (Swe)
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