Adam Scott of Australia shakes out an umbrella as he walks off of the tee on the seventh hole during the first round of The Barclays golf tournament in Edison, New Jersey August 25, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

EDISON, New Jersey - Suspense at The Barclays golf tournament went beyond who would post the lowest score as players and officials were left wondering exactly when the opening event of the FedExCup playoffs would finish.

A long delay due to lightning backed up Thursday's first round, and forecasts of heavy rains and high winds with this weekend's approach of Hurricane Irene raised various scenarios at Plainfield Country Club.

Hurricane-fueled storms are expected to hit the area late Saturday and further saturate a course that is already soggy from more than a foot of rain last week and another drenching Thursday.

"If we get five or seven inches (15-20cms) of rain here, we are probably dead in the water," tournament director Slugger White told reporters.

Forecasts expect as much as a foot(30cms) of rain.

White ruled out trying to squeeze in 36 holes of golf on Saturday even if the select field could get through the first 36 holes by the end of play on Friday and be cut to 70.

"We are not going to do that," White said. "We don't have enough daylight. We can't get it in. Plus, we have not got a very good forecast Saturday afternoon."

The tournament director said they would be better prepared to make a determination on Friday, with shortening the event to 54 holes a possibility.

Early first-round leader Harrison Frazar said the storm weighed on the minds of many players.

"We are all sensitive to what the people on the (U.S.) East Coast are going to go through," said the Texan.

"A lot of the guys here are from Florida, they are from North Carolina, South Carolina. They even got homes that they are worried about.

"So you know we are all concerned about it, but it doesn't do us any good. It's not in our power to do anything about it or to worry about it."

Spain's Sergio Garcia, who shot three-under 68 to trail Frazar by four strokes, called it a wait-and-see situation.

"I guess we'll deal with it when it gets here," he said.

"We don't know if we are going to finish Saturday or Tuesday or Friday next week."

White suggested the event had been jinxed with the hurricane threat following a rare earthquake that struck the area on Tuesday.

"They haven't had an earthquake here in a hundred years and they haven't had a hurricane here in 90 years, and they are having both in the same week, so that's pretty special," White said.

"Welcome to New Jersey."