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Paisley holds Italian Open lead as rains return

Rain and the threat of lightning saw more time lost at the Italian Open as the second round was suspended on Friday, Chris Paisley leading.

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Chris Paisley surged to the top of the Italian Open leaderboard on another rain-affected day in Monza.

For the second successive day torrential rain and the threat of lightning led to an early end to play at the Milan Golf Club, with Paisley one shot clear with six holes of his second round remaining.

Paisley was only able to complete four holes on Thursday before the rain came and had to complete the remainder of his first round on Friday.

The 30-year-old added three more birdies to card a bogey-free 68 and he maintained that form going into round two by picking up another five shots to sit on 10-under when play was suspended.

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Danny Willett, who will represent Europe in the Ryder Cup this month, is one stroke adrift with the Masters champion having made gains on four holes after starting on the 10th.

Richard Green holds the clubhouse lead on eight under, the Australian one of only four players to actually complete his second round before the hooter sounded.

Green saw an early birdie cancelled out at the sixth, but from then on he was superb, picking up five shots to card a second-round 66.

"We're very fortunate to have got two rounds done," said Green. "The guys who haven't even gone out yet have certainly got a raw deal, but that's just the way it goes sometimes.

"The course was already pretty wet and this rain is only going to make matters worse, so I feel a bit for the guys.

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"It was flat calm out there this morning, and this afternoon the conditions were again perfect, apart from when the rain moved in on the final hole. But you still have to make the most of your luck, and I managed to do that today."

Green is joined on eight-under by Alexander Levy and Chris Hanson, with Andy Sullivan and first-round leader Rikard Karlberg a further shot back - the latter having been unable to even start on day two.

Midway through the afternoon the clear skies that had been present in the morning duly drifted away, and heavy rain and the threat of an electrical storm saw proceedings brought to a premature close.

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