| Weather
cuts short day two's play Heavy
rain and fog, later followed by lightning, forced second-round play to be abandoned
for the day midway through the afternoon in the Wales Open at Celtic Manor on
Friday. Morning
rain and fog had delayed action by a total of three hours 20 minutes before lightning
caused the third stoppage of the day at 1400 GMT. Although
play was set to resume at 1630 GMT, the arrival of further rain left most of the
greens waterlogged and officials had no option but to call off play for the day.
Scotland's Paul
Lawrie, who opened with a 67, was the early leader at nine under par after 11
holes. Australia's
Richard Green, following a first-round 65, was one stroke back in second place
after five holes. Like
last year's rain-hit first round, only two groups of players took to the course
on Friday morning before fog caused the first stoppage, the second green being
particularly affected. They
briefly returned to action before a major downpour stopped play again at around
0940 GMT. While
last year on the Thursday, Scotland's Ross Drummond and Welshman Jamie Donaldson
regretted a brief start before waterlogging brought them in after they had both
double-bogeyed, this time it was Englishman Grant Hamerton who suffered. Hamerton
had time to triple-bogey the first before play was halted for the first time,
thus sliding to nine-over for the tournament. Once
play resumed, the Englishman collected further triple-bogeys at the sixth and
eighth on his way to a 13-over-par 85 for a 36-hole total of 19-over 163. Last
year's Wales Open was thrown into disarray by the rain which caused play to be
abandoned in the first round after the brief foray by just six players. The
title was eventually decided over just 36 holes and then a playoff when three
men were tied on top. The
trio shot it out in sudden-death at the only hole playable, the short 12th, where
Ireland's Paul McGinley prevailed at the fifth time of asking, leaving 1999 British
Open champion Lawrie and England's Daren Lee to share second place.
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