Lawrie leads with course record

Paul Lawrie equaled the Celtic Manor course record of 7-under-par 65 when the 1999 British Open champion finished off his weather-affected Wales Open second round on Saturday morning.

The Scot reeled off seven birdies to move to 12-under-par 132 after 36 holes and finish the day two strokes clear of Australian Richard Green (69) and England's John Bickerton (67).

The entire second round was eventually completed midway through Saturday afternoon following Friday's early finish because of fog, rain and lightning, but the top 18 players in the field will only begin round three on Sunday.

The halfway cut was made at 1-over-par 145, with 74 players progressing to the third round.

Tournament officials hope to complete both the third and fourth rounds on Sunday, despite a gloomy weather forecast.

Lawrie returned to the course to sink a birdie putt on the 12th, the hole where he had lost out in a sudden-death playoff the previous year when bad weather also affected the event. Ireland's Paul McGinley won the title after the shootout.

The 33-year-old Scot, who had racked up four birdies in five holes the previous day, also birdied two of the last three holes after picking up the shot on the 12th, to equal the 65s set by first-round leaders Green and South African James Kingston.

Lawrie said his early morning start had proved something of surprise.

"I thought my putt on the 12th was about 6 feet, but when we got back to the 12th, it looked more like 8 feet.

"But it went right in the middle from a little bit right-to-left, which was just the sort of start I was looking for," he said.

"I then stiffed it to a few inches on the 16th with a sand wedge and got up and down from 30 yards on the (par-5) 18th with a pitch to about 4 feet, so it was a satisfactory morning's work."

Lawrie had said on Friday that he was unaffected by all the disruptions caused by the inclement weather and appeared unfazed by possibility of having to play two rounds on the final day.

"We're just going back to the hotel now to chill for a few hours," he said.

"The prospect of 36 holes tomorrow wouldn't worry me. I feel very fit. I've been working on building up my fitness slowly over a long period, losing a little weight but gaining strength. It definitely helps."

Bickerton, making another bid for a maiden title in his eighth tour year after three second places, picked up four shots in his morning's nine holes as he posted a 67.

Green, looking for his second win after beating Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam in a playoff for the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic title, added a 69.

Kingston, who began his second round later in the day, slipped down the leaderboard into a share of 11th place at 4-under after mixing four bogeys with a solitary birdie at the par-5 fifth on his way to a 75.

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