Grace grabs lead before storms stop play

Branden Grace surged into a share of the lead before thunderstorms brought a premature end to day two of the South African Open Championship.

As previous frontrunners Jaco van Zyl and Shaun Norris fell away, the latter in dramatic fashion, Grace followed up his first-round 69 with a flurry of birdies to move alongside clubhouse leader Keith Horne at eight under.

Grace, who has yet to win his home Open despite claiming three European Tour titles in South Africa, initially moved into contention with four successive gains from the second hole.

After dropping a shot on the sixth, the world number 14 then picked up further shots on the 10th and 11th before play was suspended shortly after 3pm local time, with a subsequent abandonment following.

Horne mastered strong winds to record 15 pars and birdies at the seventh, 12th and 14th in his second-round 69.

"You can't complain when you're leading the SA Open," he said. "No matter what they [the other players] do, I'm happy with my first two days.

"I just hung in there and managed to make three birdies, no bogeys, and I think that was the key, keeping the bogeys off my card.

"I didn't make a lot of birdies, but as long as you keep the bogeys off the card you feel like the momentum is still with you. I'm very happy with eight under after two days."

Jbe Kruger, another South African, carded a 70 to sit one stroke off the lead, while Brandon Stone, Justin Walters and England's Ross McGowan were a shot further back having also completed their second rounds.

Van Zyl had led the way at seven under after an opening-day 65, but was four shots worse off through 11 holes on Friday.

Norris fared even worse, slumping from six under to five over in 12 holes courtesy of an alarming dip in form.

The players yet to complete their second rounds will return to the course at 6:30am local time on Saturday.