Westwood moves into contention

Marc Warren in touch after 67 as Stalter leads way in Netherlands

Lee Westwood moved into contention at the KLM Open with a bogey-free second round of 65 which left him three strokes off the lead at the halfway stage.

Westwood hit six birdies to finish on seven under par on a day when clubhouse leader Joel Stalter added a 67 to his opening round 65 to emerge as the clear leader.

With bad weather having caused an early suspension of play on Thursday, organisers struggled to catch up, with half the field unable to complete their second rounds due to darkness.

Marc Warren added a 67 to his opening 69 to be four shots behind the leader on four under par.

Fellow Scot Duncan Stewart was on the same mark after 10 holes of his second round.

Richie Ramsay was level par after a 72.

Craig Lee was one over after shooting a 70.

Scott Henry (72) and Scott Jamieson (74) are both four over.

Rookie Stalter is now in a strong position to claim his first European Tour title, one stroke ahead of Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, with German Sebastian Heisele a further stroke back.

Stalter carded seven birdies as he completed his opening round early yesterday, with his solitary blemish coming with a bogey on the final hole.

The Dutchman then recovered to produce an increasingly strong showing in the second round, overhauling Aphibarnrat’s lead with a run of six birdies in 10 holes.

Stalter told the Tour’s official website: “I played really solid – it was tough at the beginning. I gave up two shots but then I really got it back strong.

“It’s too bad because I maybe could have had a couple more birdies at the end but it was a really good round and I’m really proud of myself because it was a really long day.

“I’ve been in this situation before so I know what to expect for the weekend, but the goal is to be on top of the leaderboard on Sunday.”

Marc Warren hits his tee shot on the seventh. A 67 left him four shots off the lead. Picture: Getty.