Atwal shines in Malaysian storms

India’s Arjun Atwal continued to show Europe’s top two players a clean pair of heels before bad weather again disrupted the Carlsberg Malaysian Open today.

Atwal was among 73 players unable to complete their second rounds on schedule yesterday after a violent 90-minute thunderstorm flooded the Mines Resort course.

The 29-year-old had completed seven holes before the heavens opened on Friday and managed just eight of his third round today before the oppressive heat and humidity sparked off another storm.

Atwal had just completed the eighth hole and carved out a four-shot lead over the field when play was abandoned for the day in Kuala Lumpur.

Two birdies in those eight holes had taken Atwal to 17 under, with European number one Retief Goosen his nearest challenger after a birdie on the eighth just before the end of play.

Thailand’s Thammanoon Srirot was alongside Goosen on 13 under, although he was certain to drop back having carved his tee shot on the ninth into deep trouble.

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, second to Goosen on the Order of Merit for the last two years, was six shots off the pace after also completing eight holes, alongside Scotland’s Dean Robertson, Swede Daniel Chopra and Korean Ted Oh.

Resuming his second round this morning at 8am local time, Atwal managed to save par from a greenside bunker on the eighth hole and parred the ninth to be out in 31.

Two birdies in his last four holes then saw him add a 65 to his opening 62 for a 15-under-par total of 127 – the lowest first 36 holes of the season and joint lowest score in relation to par, matching Ernie Els’ 15 under for the first 36 holes last week in Perth.

That gave Atwal, the first Indian golfer to win on the European Tour when he claimed the Singapore Masters last year, a three-shot lead over Goosen at halfway.

Atwal appeared undaunted by the prospect of taking on Goosen and Harrington, ranked fifth and ninth in the world respectively, and was yet to drop a shot all week in the race for the €166,000 first prize.

Playing alongside Goosen when the leaders began their third rounds, Atwal kept his three-shot cushion in tact by matching Goosen’s birdie on the par-five third to move to 16 under.

That lead was then extended to four shots when Goosen bogeyed the fifth, although Srirot took over in second place on 13 under with birdies at the third, fifth and sixth.

Harrington had drawn level with Goosen on 12 under with birdies on the third and fifth, but bogeyed the next to drop back into a share of fourth place.

Atwal then extended his lead with a birdie from 10 feet on the sixth, but Goosen hit back with one of his own on the eighth.

That proved to be the last significant action of the day, however, and tournament officials will be praying for better weather on Sunday in order to complete all 72 holes.

Meanwhile, Lee Westwood’s hopes of challenging for a first tournament win in more than two years had suffered a potentially fatal blow.

The former European number one, playing his second tournament since consulting new coach David Leadbetter, made the ideal start with a birdie at the first but promptly ran up a double bogey five on the short second.

The 29-year-old hit back with a birdie on the next, but his approach to the fourth found the water to the left of the green and he did well to hole from eight feet to drop just one shot.

He was not so successful with a shorter putt for par on the sixth however and dropped back to seven under par, 10 shots off the lead.