UPDATE 2-Golf-Zozo Championship second round washed out on Friday

The second round of the Zozo Championship in Japan was halted on Friday because of persistent rain, tournament organizers announced, with a possible Monday finish looming large.

The round was rescheduled to start on Saturday at 0630 local time (Friday 2130 GMT) at Narashino Country Club, weather permitting. Tiger Woods posted his best score in more than a year with a six-under-par 64 in Thursday's opening round for a share of the lead with fellow American Gary Woodland, one shot in front of home favorite Hideki Matsuyama.

Officials hope to squeeze in as much play as possible on Saturday, including at least half of the third round. All being well, the round will resume early on Sunday and finish in time for the final round to begin mid-morning.

Officials still hope for a Sunday afternoon finish, though that will be possible only in a best-case scenario without further significant delays. That remained an open question as the rain continued to fall throughout Friday morning and into the afternoon under the influence of tropical storm Bualoi.

"The golf course has already reached the point of saturation and it has become unplayable," said rules official Gary Young. "With more rain in the forecast and three-to-five inches of rain for the day (75-125mm), we thought the right decision was to call play for the day."

Young said play would be extended into Monday if that became necessary to complete 72 holes. The Zozo Championship is the first official-money PGA Tour event in Japan.

Thursday's play took place in front of sellout galleries starved of a chance to see Woods and other top players on a regular basis. Should Woods win the event, he will equal Sam Snead's record mark of 82 PGA Tour victories.

This will be Woods' final start before he selects four players to complete the American line-up for December's Presidents Cup against an International team in Australia. Woods will captain the United States and has left the door open to appearing as a playing captain.

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