Spain's Ignacio Garrido will take a one-shot lead into the delayed third round of the KLM Open in Zandvoort, The Netherlands, today.
Garrido was one of 63 players forced to return to Kennemer GC on Saturday morning to complete their second rounds after more than four hours' play was lost on Friday due to thunderstorms.
Another thunderstorm this morning meant play was delayed for a further 50 minutes before Garrido could complete a 67 for a seven-under-par halfway total of 135.
The former Ryder Cup player had been three shots clear after six birdies in his first 16 holes but bogeyed the last two to finish one ahead of Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen, France's Christian Cevaer, England's Phillip Archer and Scot Raymond Russell.
Colin Montgomerie had earlier completed a 71 to lie six shots off the lead on one under, the 43-year-old Scot furious to bogey the 18th, the only hole he had to play this morning.
Garrido, a member of the victorious 1997 Ryder Cup team at Valderrama, won the European Tour's flagship Volvo PGA Championship in 2003 but has struggled to reproduce that form ever since.
The 34-year-old from Madrid finished 141st on the Order of Merit in 2004 and 124th last year, and would have lost his card but for the five-year exemption earned for that play-off victory at Wentworth.
Damien McGrane is best placed of the Irish contingent on five-under-par following a 68 on Friday. Gary Murphy and Peter Lawrie are not out of contention either on three and two-under after respective rounds of 70 and 71.
The cut fell at one-over-par, meaning Paul McGinley and Ian Woosnam made it through with a shot to spare, but Ryder Cup hopeful Paul Broadhurst comfortably missed out on seven over par after rounds of 73 and 76.
Broadhurst is 11th in the standings, one place behind McGinley in the last automatic qualifying place, but will head to next week's USPGA championship low on confidence.
