Scrabble-loving Briton James Morrison extended his surprise lead over a field packed with major-winners in the Barclays Singapore Open’s rain-curtailed second round yesterday.
The unheralded 26-year-old from Weybridge was standing on the 15th fairway when thunderclaps and heavy rain forced a three-hour delay, but he returned to complete a three-under round of 68, including a peach of a birdie on 18.
Morrison held the clubhouse lead on 12-under 130 as a who’s who of golf jostled to survive the cut in the second round, which will be completed early today after darkness ended play at about 7pm.
Photo: EPA
Four-time major-winner Phil Mickelson was one shot below the projected cut of three-under with six holes left to play, while Irish star Padraig Harrington and Colombia’s Camilo Villegas were both four strokes from safety.
Ernie Els carded a five-under 66 to lie four-under overall, while 2009 US Open champion Graeme McDowell survived a bout of stomach cramps to limp round in level-par 71, putting him on three-under for the first two days.
However, the twin par-71 courses also saw some dazzling play as last year’s British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen stormed to eight-under 63 for a share of 12th and England’s Justin Rose hoisted himself to joint eighth with a six-under round.
Joint overnight leader Edoardo Molinari was one shot off Morrison’s pace, while Filipino Juvic Pagunsan and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano shared fourth. Asia’s only major-winner Y.E. Yang was joint fifth with six holes to play.
However, Morrison, a sufferer of the debilitating Crohn’s disease which forces him to constantly monitor his diet, was comfortable leading the illustrious field despite only joining the European Tour last year.
At the par-five 18th, he sizzled a 100-yard sand wedge to within three feet to complete a satisfying 48 hours after his first round of 62.
“It was absolutely perfect, looked like it was going to go in, but I’ll take the four,” Morrison said of the wedge shot, adding that he passed time during the rain delay by playing a high-tech version of Scrabble.
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