Weather slows down Taiwan Open

Jeev Singh tees off at the Acer Taiwan Open in Taoyuan. PHOTO: AP

Three were tied for the lead at the end of day two of the Taiwan Open yesterday as fog and wind made life difficult.

The previous day's leader Jeev Singh played a shortened round and dropped one shot, ending up sharing the lead with Australia's Jason Dawes and Thailand's Thammanoon Srirot, at the Sunrise Golf and Country Club in Yangmei, Taoyuan County.

Jeev the 11th hole but the Indian up made for the dropped shot on the 13th with a birdie, before bogeying the 15th to return to the clubhouse on 6-under par for the championship after playing just six holes.

Play curtailed at 4:40pm as cloudy conditions reduced visibility. Fog had descended on the course in the morning and the wind picked up later, as first round players struggled to finish and the second round did not start until later.

Singh he was disappointed at bogeying his final hole and losing the lead.

"If the conditions are the same tomorrow then I intend to just hit the fairway and green and not be too aggressive," he said.

Dawes the surprise package of the day, completing his second round with a score of 70, giving him a total score of 138 after two days and putting him joint first.

"I dealt with the wind really well. On the front nine it was windy and sunny, but by the back nine the sun was gone," Dawes said. "I have been playing well over the last six weeks, so the score didn't surprise me."

Srirot, in second place after the first day, improved his position by coming in even-par after five holes to stay at 6-under in total and take a share of the lead.

The Thai player said he didn't like to play in the wind and had a problem standing still to make putts.

"Everybody had a difficult time but you have to make the most of conditions. I just plan to do the best I can."

Star Justin Rose also only played five holes, dropped one shot and then made it up, to stay in contention at 2-under par.

"I enjoyed my short day, but the wind was in a completely different direction. On hole 10, I shot 35 yards short yesterday, but hit it 150 yards over today, which means the wind made a difference of nearly 185 yards," the Englishman said. "I knew when I came here that it is a difficult course and today I know why -- the course showed its teeth.

Rose he was not surprised that Singh was leading and thought the Indian could go all the way. "Jeev is a good player and he has proven it all over the world, in Japan, Europe and elsewhere."

Asian PGA officials said they would try to complete the second round today, starting 6:40am, with the third round slated to begin at 10am.

"The weather has been a bit unkind to us. Obviously we are hoping to complete play and if the conditions are OK we should be able to finish, or nearly finish round three and be OK for Sunday," said senior tournament director Kee Ng-jin.

If not, the third round will likely decide the winner tomorrow. Among the local players, Cheng Chung-cheng (陳宗成) was best placed after the second day, making another 70 to get back to the clubhouse at 4-under for the championship.

Fourteen-year-old prodigy Lo Shih-kai (羅士凱) looked set to make the cut after he posted a solid 75 to add to the impressive 73 he shot on Thursday.