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| April 22, 2006 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1427 |
Lightning curtails action in Asian Open
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.
HOUSTON: Australia's Stuart Appleby fired an opening round six-under 66 to grab the first round lead at the Houston Open on Thursday, while Vijay Singh remained on course for a third consecutive title.
Appleby was in blistering form at Redstone golf club mixing seven birdies with a single bogey, to take the lead one shot clear of Americans Jerry Smith and D.A. Points and three strokes clear of defending champion Singh.
The Australian settled at the top of the leaderboard as conditions toughened on the par-72 Tournament Course.
Australia's Aaron Baddeley, riding the momentum from his maiden PGA Tour win last week at the Heritage Classic in South Carolina, carded a four-under 68.
He was joined on 68 by fellow Australian Stephen Leaney,Americans Charles Warren and Brent Geiberger and Sweden'sMathias Gronberg.
Leading first round scores:
66 -- Stuart Appleby (Australia).
67 – D.A. Points (US), Jerry Smith (US).
68 -- Aaron Baddeley (Australia), Brent Geiberger (US), Mathias Gronberg (Sweden), Stephen Leaney (Australia), Charles Warren (US).
69 -- Jose Coceres (Argentina), John Daly (US), Jeff Gove (US), Paul Goydos (US), Trevor Immelman (South Africa), Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden), Frank Lickliter (US), Hunter Mahan (US), Scott McCarron (US), Greg Owen (Britain), Jesper Parnevik (Sweden), Ted Purdy US), Vijay Singh (Fiji).—Agencies
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