Marco Penge took a two-shot lead at the rain-delayed Husqvarna British Masters at The Belfry after going eight under through 14 holes on Friday.
The English golfer completed a marathon 32 holes during the day after stormy weather disrupted play for a second consecutive round in Sutton Coldfield.
Penge started his second round on the back nine and immediately made his move by driving the 302-yard 10th hole, before sinking an 11-foot putt for an eagle.
Despite a bogey on the par-four 13th, he responded with birdies at the 14th, 16th and 17th holes to complete his first nine in 32 shots.
He maintained his momentum after making the turn, recording further birdies at the first, second, third and fifth holes before darkness brought Friday's action to an end at 7.50pm.
Earlier on Friday, Penge completed a bogey-free first round of three-under 69 after Thursday's opening play had suffered three separate weather suspensions.
"It's solid. Pretty tough conditions with the wind and with the back flags, the greens being so soft, it's tough to hit it close. Bogey-free round is always nice," Penge said after concluding his first round.
Addressing his condition after his long day on the course, Penge added: "My body should be fine. I obviously just had two weeks off and haven't played that much the last couple of months. I'm pretty fresh compared to the other lads. I've got my physio and my trainer here."
Leaderboard contenders
New Zealand's Daniel Hillier sits in second place behind Penge at six under through 14 holes of his second round.
England's Matthew Jordan is tied for third on seven under overall, standing at one under for his second round with four holes remaining. Jordan had completed his opening round one shot behind the leader.
Spain's Nacho Elvira had taken the first-round lead by shooting a seven-under 65. Early Thursday front-runner Tom McKibbin finished his opening round at four under and has yet to begin his second round.
Storm delays and tournament schedule
The tournament has been severely affected by weather since opening day. On Friday, play continued until 2.29pm before being suspended for thunder and lightning, causing a delay of two hours and 11 minutes.
The British Masters is a prominent event on the DP World Tour, the principal men's professional golf circuit in Europe. The Belfry, located in Sutton Coldfield near Birmingham, is a world-famous golf venue that has previously hosted major international events including the Ryder Cup.
Organisers confirmed that players will return to complete the second round starting at 7.30am on Saturday morning. Players who are yet to begin their second round will tee off between 8.45am and 10.45am.
The third round will use a two-tee start and will not begin before 4pm on Saturday, with live television coverage continuing on Sky Sports Golf from 9.30am.
