Friday 10 March 2017 14:33, UK
SSP Chawrasia powered into the lead at his favourite venue as the Hero Indian Open suffered further weather delays on day two in New Delhi.
The defending champion fired a second-round 67 to hit the top on five under as overnight leader David Horsey slipped, although half the field have yet to complete 36 holes with Eddie Pepperell having played only two holes of his second round.
The first day's play was held up for 90 minutes by the threat of lightning, and a similar situation developed on Friday afternoon with the players being forced from the course and did not return for two and a half hours.
Pepperell and Matteo Manassero are among 66 players who will return to the DLF Golf and Country Club early on Saturday morning to resume their second rounds.
Chawrasia, who had finished runner-up four times in his home championship before winning his third European Tour title last year, put himself in prime position to defend his crown after putting together a flawless five-birdie card.
Playing alongside Horsey, who completed a first-round 66 earlier, the holder birdied the 11th - their second - before Horsey responded at the next only to drop his first shot of the tournament on the 13th.
Chawrasia then drained a huge 50-foot putt for birdie at the 14th and the pair traded birdies at the next, but Horsey erred again at the 18th when he found the hazard and ran up a bogey six.
Horsey responded with a sublime approach to four feet at the fourth to set up birdie, but there was a three-shot swing on the short fifth hole as Horsey bunkered his tee shot and compounded the error by three-putting to card a double-bogey after Chawrasia sank another lengthy putt for a birdie-two.
Chawrasia got another putt to drop at the eighth, while a rattled Horsey required four putts to get down as he signed for another six which gifted the outright lead to the home favourite.
"I feel really good, and made a few putts, that's why I shot five under," Chawrasia said. "Yesterday I played good but missed a few putts. I did miss a few but I made a few too, so they equal out.
"Last year I won, so I have lots of positivity. And now I'm leading so obviously I'm confident and I'm trying to win this tournament again. Hopefully I'll play good the next two days."
Horsey added: "I played quite nicely, but a little bit disappointed with the finish, I left a few putts out there on the back nine. But still, I'm only one behind just now, that's not a bad position going into the weekend."
Manassero bogeyed two of the first four holes before getting a shot back at the sixth, and the young Italian is three under with 11 holes to complete when play resumes in the morning.
Pepperell managed only two holes and is also three under after a bogey-birdie start to his second round, while 2014 Ryder Cup player Stephen Gallacher is safely in the clubhouse on one under after a 73 as only 12 players are under par heading into the third day.
