Lee Westwood and Alexander Noren share the lead at The Quinn Insurance British Masters after the second round was finally completed after further fog delays at The Belfry.
Westwood – aiming to defend his title – hit a two under par 70 which took him to six under for the tournament yesterday and was joined by Noren as the Swede completed his second round after more fog delays on Saturday morning. The third round then started at 2.15pm.
A remarkable Friday at The Belfry, when almost the entire field came out in pink to support two charities - Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer – saw a record equalling three holes in one.
England’s Phillip Archer set the trend when aced the seventh before Spain’s Alvaro Quiros followed him in on the 12th and finally Jeev Milkha Singh aced the seventh as well. It was the first time since the 2006 TCL Classic that three holes on one had been recorded in the same round.
Singh’s ace, sitting nicely alongside three birdies, lifted the Indian alongside Westwood on six under. But when he resumed his round this morning he slipped back to four under.
Noren returned and birdied the 445 yard sixth, his 15th, to join Westwood at the top.
With over three hours lost to fog at the start of Friday's play the 72 players still to complete were back on the Midlands course at 7.45am this morning.
However, only two minutes play was possible before the fog closed in again and it was 10.30am before another start was made. Noren, however, was unfazed by the delay.
“I putted great today and you can see it right away, I am six under instead of level,” the Swede said.
“If you are not holing putts and are always around level par then you are not going to get anywhere.
“So, putting and driving. Especially here, if you don’t drive the ball on the fairway then you don’t have a chance. That’s pro golf: driving and putting.”
Four players sit a shot behind Noren and Westwood – compatriot Ross Fisher, Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, Scotland’s Marc Warren and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
Fisher, who was among the last to finish when he came in with a 68, said: “I was delighted with that. It has been a long couple of days and good to get it finished.”
