Dustin Johnson ended the day the same way he began it, with the lead in The Open.
He didn't finish his round, though, after a day on the Old Course filled with rain, wind, cold and finally the gloom of night.
Johnson made it through 13 holes before play was finally called as darkness enveloped St. Andrews. He was 10 under, a shot ahead of England's Danny Willett, who was in the clubhouse at 9-under 135.
"We needed to play," Johnson said on finishing as many holes as possible. "The more we get done, the easier it is for the return."
Johnson's playing partner Jordan Spieth was at 5 under in his quest to add the Open title to the Masters and U.S. Open he won earlier this year.
A heavy downpour at dawn flooded the Old Course and disrupted the start by more than three hours. Johnson and Spieth teed off shortly before 6 p.m. and were headed in different directions when it was too dark to continue.
In swift, shifting weather -- umbrellas on one hole, sunglasses on the next -- Johnson made three birdies in four holes on the front nine and built a two-shot lead before he made his first bogey of the tournament. He three-putted on the par-3 11th in wind so severe he had to back off a 4-foot putt and wipe his eyes.
"I'm in a good spot," Johnson said. "Definitely got very tricky this afternoon, all day. Even the front side, the wind was howling, and it was blowing straight left to right pretty much. It played very tough all day."
Spieth three-putted for bogey three times in 11 holes to offset three birdies and was five shots behind Johnson, whom he beat by one shot in the U.S. Open last month to capture the second leg of the Grand Slam.
There were 42 players still on the course when play finished. They will return Saturday morning to finish their round before the cut is made and the field redrawn into new groups of three. Play resumes at 7 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET, ESPN) Saturday.
Among those who did finish was 65-year-old Tom Watson, who walked across the Swilcan Bridge for the final time as a player. Watson stopped at the top of the bridge on the 18th hole for photos and was cheered as he walked up the fairway with a wide smile on his face by the few hundred fans still left in the cold and dark.
"There were no tears," Watson said. "This is a joyous occasion. I have a lot of great, great memories. And those memories filled me up."
Watson wasn't the only player to bid farewell to the Old Course.
Nick Faldo, the three-time Open winner regarded as Britain's greatest champion, came out of the TV tower to play St. Andrews one last time. He switched into a sweater that he wore for his first Open title in 1987 at Muirfield, thrust his arms in the air atop the Swilcan Bridge and saved par for a 71.
So much attention has been on Spieth and Johnson, the main characters from the drama that played out at Chambers Bay last month. Johnson had a 12-foot eagle putt on the final hole to win the U.S. Open and three-putted to finish behind golf's new golden child.
Behind them, a long list of players lined up to take their shot on the weekend.
Jason Day, in contention at Chambers Bay even though he battled symptoms of vertigo, was at 8 under par through 11 holes. Paul Lawrie, the 1999 champion at Carnoustie, also was at 8 under through 12 holes. Louis Oosthuizen, who won the Claret Jug the last time The Open came to St. Andrews, was at 7 under through 11 holes.
Among those who managed to finish was Adam Scott, a former Masters champion who is starting to feel the void of giving away The Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2012, when he bogeyed the final four holes. Scott was in control in blustery weather, keeping his ball flights low and judging bounces perfectly. He made three birdies around the loop at the far end of the course and closed with a birdie for a 67.
Scott was at 7-under 137, along with Zach Johnson (71), Marc Warren (69) and Robert Streb (71).
"The last few years at The Open has been some of my favorite golf," Scott said. "Getting into contention at this championship and having a chance to lift the Claret Jug is what it's all about. This is a great position. I'm excited for my weekend."
Tiger Woods finished 11 holes with seemingly no shot at making the cut, in a tie for 129th at 5 over. The cut was expected to be even par.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.