Golf: McGinley still out in front

Paul McGinley maintained his two-stroke lead when the Volvo Masters completed its second round a day late in Jerez.

Winds gusting up to 45mph had halted play on Friday afternoon with the 20 first-round leaders all still on the Montecastillo course.

Grateful to be called in when they did - shots galore were being dropped at the time - conditions were improved for their return, but not by much.

The flags were still being bent over, but the scoring suggested the players were able to cope far better.

McGinley resumed on the 13th and parred his first three holes before grabbing a birdie four at the long 16th.

That was offset by a closing bogey five. But a superb 69 gave him a halfway total of 135, nine under.

Swede Mathias Gronberg, one of the lucky ones to complete his work before the wind turned really unfriendly on Friday, was second on seven under. Sharing third spot were Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington.

Clarke had also got through unscathed and was in the clubhouse when the late starters were made to fight just to stay upright, but Harrington came back and parred the last four holes for a 71.

Among the big casualties were first-round leaders Ian Poulter and Australian Peter Lonard.

Poulter, who opened with a 64, double-bogeyed the last two holes for a round of 81 and plummeted to one over par - while Lonard, joint fifth on the final tee, ran up a quadruple bogey eight there for a 78 which sent him crashing to one under.

Lee Westwood had a really adventurous time. Just before the Friday stoppage he had dropped four shots in three holes and on his resumption he went bogey, birdie, double bogey, birdie.

It all added up to a 76, and he was alongside Poulter on one over.

But the worst round of all came from 21-year-old Justin Rose.

The damage had already been done when he returned to the edge of the 18th green. But taking three to get down for a bogey five meant an 83 and, having been joint eighth after the first round, he had only four of the 66-strong field behind him on eight over.