Forsyth ahead after 36 holes

Scotland's Alastair Forsyth reeled off four birdies in six holes on his way to a six-under-par 65 and a one-shot lead after the second round of the weather-affected Malaysian Open on Friday.

The Scot, joint leader with England's Barry Lane on day one after a course record 63, made the most of a brilliant short game as he moved to 14-under 128 shortly before dusk fell at a sweltering Royal Selangor Golf Club.

Despite struggling a little in the high humidity and having to wait out a one-hour suspension in play after heavy rain swept the course in the late afternoon, Forsyth maintained his place at the top of the leaderboard with seven birdies and one bogey.

"I played really well," Forsyth said. "I'm not flushing it and hitting it the best I have ever hit it but am hitting it pretty solid and keeping it in play.

"My short irons have been good and that has been the key -- I've been hitting them in quite close and taking the chances.

"Obviously I'm delighted with the way I am scoring. I've kept it out of trouble and only made one bogey in the two rounds which was the first hole after we started back out after the suspension."

Spain's Miguel Angel Martin, the early leader in the clubhouse after a sparkling 63 on Friday, finished in second at 129 with South Korea's Anthony Kang a further two shots back in third after a 65.

Another Spaniard, Ignacio Garrido, was fourth on 132, after carding a second-round 67, while Lane slipped a little off the pace into a tie for eighth after carding a level-par 71.

However, six times major champion Nick Faldo crashed down the leaderboard with an eight-over 79 and, despite his impressive 68 the previous day, comfortably missed the halfway cut which was made at one-under-par 141.

Faldo, who finished joint-sixth and third in his last two European Tour outings, had said at the beginning of the week that he felt close to a first individual win anywhere in the world since the 1997 Nissan Open.

"I feel like a jellyfish," the three times British Open champion said. "I couldn't do anything today.

"I guess the heat and humidity took it out of me yesterday and you don't realise. I just feel like a jellyfish full of water.

"The body suddenly tells you can't go on. I've had five tough weeks. Two in Australia, two flying around the world and a tough week last week. The body just says hang on a minute I'm boss.

"I've hit lots of bad shots because I just couldn't feel. I tried to stand up and hit some shots but couldn't can't feel the tempo or the timing of the whole swing."

Martin, a member of Europe's triumphant Ryder Cup team in 1997, was one of 36 players who had to complete their first rounds earlier in the day after play was suspended for two hours on Thursday afternoon following a tropical thunderstorm.

He ended up with a tidy 66 and then, after a quick turnaround, got off to a red-hot start in his second round with four birdies and an eagle at the par-five third in his first six holes.

Another birdie at the ninth took him to the turn in only 29 and the Spaniard picked up another shot at the par-four 16th for a back nine of 34.

"I was thinking when I holed the putt on the ninth I could break 60 but the back nine here is very difficult and no chance for me," said Martin. "I played well and putted fantastic."

However, the Spaniard's eight-under-par round was still good enough to equal the course record jointly set by Britons Barry Lane and Alastair Forsyth on Thursday.

The Malysian Open is co-sanctioned between the European and Asian PGA Tours.

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