Christiaan Bezuidenhout carded the lowest round of the week so far to open up a one shot lead as the BMW International Open got back on track midway through day two at Golfclub München Eichenried.
Nearly three hours had been lost on day one due to thunderstorms in the area but the ground staff did incredible work to keep the course in pristine condition as the fans flooded through the gates once again.
South African Bezuidenhout completed four holes of his first round to sign for a 70 and then added a sparkling 65 that left him at nine under, one shot clear of Finn Kim Koivu.
Italy's Edoardo Molinari, local favourite Max Schmitt and 2003 winner Lee Westwood were then at seven under, a shot clear of two time champion Pablo Larrazábal.
Westwood claimed five European Tour wins as he won the Order of Merit in 2000 but failed to finish in Europe's top 50 in the following two seasons and slipped out of the top 200 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
A victory on his debut at Golfclub München Eichenried in 2003 ended a drought of almost three years and started the renaissance that would eventually guide him to World Number One.
The Englishman had finished his first round with a birdie in the twilight and he picked up where he left off on Friday morning, making gains on the 11th, 12th, 15th and 18th to move into a two shot lead.
A bogey on the second halted his momentum and he had to make smart up-and-downs on the third and sixth as he was joined at the top by Bezuidenhout.
The 25-year-old - who made a birdie and a bogey as he completed his first round - went birdie-bogey from the second but then made a gain on the sixth and added four in a row from the eighth to leap up the leaderboard.
Molinari then made it a three way tie at the top as he set the clubhouse target, recovering from a bogey on the third with birdies on the fourth, sixth and ninth to turn in 34.
He started the back nine with a dropped shot but bounced straight back again and made further birdies on the 11th, 14th, 16th and last.
Another Bezuidenhout birdie on the 13th handed him the solo lead as Westwood parred his way home, and Schmitt then became the third man in the clubhouse at seven under.
The German had picked up a shot in his three remaining holes first thing and stayed bogey free for the day with gains on the 11th, 13th, first and ninth.
Koivu was playing alongside Bezuidenhout and after picking up a birdie in finishing his first round, he made gains on the first, fifth and sixth to turn in 33.
He was still five under for the week stood on the 15th tee but birdied the 15th, 16th and last to catapult himself up the leaderobard.
That still left him one off the lead, however, as Bezuidenhout also took advantage of the closing par five to get to nine under.
Larrazábal won this event in 2011 and 2015 and he recovered from an opening bogey with birdies on the 11th, 13th, 15th, 16th, fourth, sixth and ninth.
England's Matthew Fitzpatrick made seven birdies in a 66 to get to five under alongside fellow 2016 Ryder Cup player Rafa Cabrera Bello, Americans John Catlin and Kurt Kitayama, Costa Rican Luis Gagne, England's Sam Horsfield and Swede Joakim Lagergren.
