The No. 2-ranked Westwood rolled in four straight birdies to begin his round and holed a seventh at the 16th to move to 9 under for the tournament before he was forced off the course. Play will resume early Saturday.
Shaaban Hussin of Malaysia and Park Hyun-bin of South Korea were already in the clubhouse on 9 under.
“Good day on the links,” Westwood wrote on his Twitter feed. “Opened with 4 straight birdies but got to say I hate not finishing!”
Westwood will reclaim the top ranking from Martin Kaymer this week if he take the title and Luke Donald does not win The Heritage tournament in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Donaldson sizzles to 61 at China Open
In Chengdu, China, Jamie Donaldson made 11 birdies for a second-round 61 Friday at the China Open, soaring to the top of the leaderboard.
Donaldson is one stroke ahead of seven players tied at 12 under at the Luxehills International Country Club in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province.
The Welshman’s scintillating performance lifted him 57 places after a 2-under 70 in the first round.
Sergio Garcia of Spain was two shots back — alongside four others — after a round of 67.
Chinese star Liang Wen-chong followed his 68 with a 66 on Friday and is three shots behind the leader.
Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington (73) and defending champion Y.E. Yang (75) missed the cut.
Despite opening the round with an eagle, Yang had five bogeys and a double bogey at the 18th.
Meantime, Morgan Pressel is returning to Japan to defend her title, and she will give half of whatever she makes to the American Red Cross toward relief efforts for tsunami and earthquake victims.
Pressel said Thursday she would play the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup on May 5-8. It will be held at Ibaraki Golf Club and is considered the first major of the year on the Japan LPGA Tour.
Pressel says she holds a special place in her heart for Japan, and she hopes the tournament can help boost morale in the area. The prefecture of Ibaraki is about 150 miles south of Sendai, the area hardest hit by the March 11 disaster. She also says she’s honored to have a chance to give back to the country in a time of need.
Pressel’s own foundation has raised nearly $2 million toward fighting breast cancer.
