Nathan Smith 5 up after 18

            When Nathan Smith laced a perfect iron shot through howling wind (gusts of 30 miles per hour this morning) and watched it land right near the hole on the par-5 18th, his opponent, Tim Hogarth, said, "Now you're just showing off!"

            It turned out that Smith settled for par, as did Hogarth to finish the morning round of the 36-hole final at Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton. But it was a rarity that Smith didn't take another hole. Smith is 5-up at the break and has shown no signs of buckling on his way to a return trip to the Masters. Smith, of Pittsburgh, is the defending Mid-Am champ and played at Augusta this year.

            Maybe most amazing, considering the forecast and the weather elsewhere on Long Island, was that they not only played but they played without getting rained on.

            The final is scheduled to resume at noon.