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MADRID, Spain -- Notah Begay shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to take the clubhouse lead in the rain-delayed first round of the $2.75 million Spanish Open on the European Tour.

France's Gregory Bourdy and Sweden's Steven Jeppersen also were 4 under, both with five holes to play on the Centro Nacional de Golf course.

Half of the players didn't even start the round because of heavy round.

Only five hours' play was possible on the opening day, but Begay just beat the fading light to set the clubhouse target for the rest of the field.

Four times a winner on the PGA TOUR before suffering chronic back problems and losing his card, Begay entered the European Tour qualifying school last November and came through it tied for sixth place.

"When I played the U.S. TOUR, it was rumored the weather was bad in Europe, and I can testify they were not exaggerating,'' he said. "Thankfully, the food and the service was great because we did a lot of sitting around.

"I also had to play the course blind because my clubs did not arrive until Tuesday night and I was not in the pro-am," he added. "My sciatic nerve was really bothering me too, but I've just dealt with it the last couple of years and my wife and I are thoroughly enjoying our time over here.''

Also 4 under par, still with holes to play in Friday morning, are Swede Steven Jeppesen and Frenchman Gregory Bourdy.

The European Ryder Cup pair of Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke, both looking for a return to form, finished just after 9:00 p.m. local time with scores of 70 and 75, respectively.

Without a top-10 finish all season -- in Europe or America -- McGinley has just slipped outside the world's top 100.

However, after waiting two hours to begin his round and managing only one hole before another five-hour delay, the 40-year-old Dubliner hardly put a foot wrong on the sodden Centro Nacional course until two bogeys in the last three holes.

Clarke is playing his first tournament since his early exit from the Masters -- and since suffering a hamstring injury when his young son Conor tackled him when they were playing football.

He was 1 under at the turn, but struggled home in 40 with bogeys at both the par 5s and the fourth and ninth.

McGinley's playing partner Ian Woosnam came in with a 74. The Welshman is still looking for his first paycheck of the year -- and that after making trips to Thailand, Singapore, China and the United States.

In the first three of those, last year's victorious European Ryder Cup captain missed the cut, while in the Masters he pulled out just before the start after a recurrence of back trouble.

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