SHANGHAI, April 21: Henrik Stenson was on the verge of taking at least a one-stroke lead into the weekend at the Asian Open when the second round was suspended because of lightning on Friday.

The Swede was preparing to take a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th green when the storm hit the Tomson Pudong Golf Course and he will be one of 42 players to finish their rounds on Saturday.

Stenson, who had led by a shot overnight, was a late starter and, with the wind quickening and grey skies overhead, bogeyed the second hole.

A couple of birdies on the front nine balanced another bogey at the eighth -- where he found a bunker unusually situated in the middle of the green -- and another bogey-birdie left him a shot in front of Briton Paul Lawrie.

Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion, rode the early wind to birdie two of the last three holes for a two-under-par 70 and was in sole possession of second place at four under par when play was stopped at the $1.8 million event.

Portugal's Jose-Filipe Lima also shot a 70 to share fourth with Ireland's Peter Lawrie and Asian challengers Frankie Minoza of the Phillipines and Danny Chia of Malaysia at three under.

One of the top Asian challengers overnight at this co-sanctioned event, South Korea's Charlie Wi, shot a one-over 73 to drop off the leaderboard, but he remained upbeat.

Leading second round scores:

140 -- Paul Lawrie (Britain) 70, 70.

141 -- Jose-Filipe Lima (Portugal) 71, 70; Peter Lawrie (Ireland) 69, 72; Danny Chia (Malaysia) 71, 70; Frankie Minoza (Philippines) 69, 72.

142 -- Garry Houston (Britain) 71, 71; Miles Tunnicliff (Britain) 72, 70; Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain) 71, 71; Charlie Wi (South Korea) 69, 73; Jarrod Lyle (Australia) 71, 71.

143 -- Francois Delamontagne (France) 70, 73; Peter O'Malley (Australia) 73, 70; Paul Casey (Britain) 72, 71; Graeme Storm (Britain) 74, 69; Simon Wakefield (Britain) 73, 70; David Higgins (Ireland) 73, 70; Simon Dyson (Britain) 72, 71; Thaworn Wiratchant (Thailand) 73, 70.