Weir, Kim and Axley share lead at soggy Glen Abbey

OAKVILLE, Ontario (Reuters) - Home favorite Mike Weir and Americans Anthony Kim and Eric Axley fired six-under-par 65s to share the first-round lead at the Canadian Open on Thursday.

The trio were among the few players to complete their rounds on a miserable day at a soggy Glen Abbey, avoiding torrential rain and lightning which halted play for six hours.

Bidding to become the first Canadian to win the title for 54 years, Weir brightened up the stormy afternoon for the hometown fans with a bogey-free round.

Weir, who came close to ending the dry spell the last time the event was staged on the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout in 2004 when he lost to Vijay Singh in a playoff, rolled in a five-footer on his final hole to go top of the leaderboard.

Axley went one better, eagling the par-five 18th just before play was suspended.

Kim, chasing his third title of the season, mixed seven birdies with a single bogey.

"It makes a difference, it really does," Weir told reporters. "When you get called off the course with three holes to go and you wait around all day. Especially with my round going today, I wanted to keep the momentum going.

"That would have been tough to come back and try to get that energy level back to where it needs to be.

Lurking two shots back in the clubhouse were Americans JP Hayes, Nicholas Thompson, Ryan Armour and Jason Allred, and Briton Richard Johnson.

Twice U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa, back at the Canadian Open for the first time since 1995, did not enjoy his return, laboring to a two-over 73 including four birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey seven at the 13th.

(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Ed Osmond)