VILAMOURA, Portugal: Alexander Levy continued where he left off after a long rain delay at the Portugal Masters while Thursday’s runaway leader Nicolas Colsaerts faltered to leave the Frenchman comfortably out in front.

Heavy downpours continued to blight the event on Friday, but when play was possible Levy excelled with seven birdies in his first 11 holes at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Club.

Such was the disruption that the tournament was reduced to 54 holes with the second round to be completed on Saturday and the third and final round to be played on Sunday.

Colsaerts on Thursday was inches from carding The European Tour’s first 59 as his 18-foot birdie putt slid by the 18th hole.

That put the Belgian, ranked 85th on The Race to Dubai, three shots ahead of his nearest challengers, although some players were to complete their first rounds on Friday due to a torrential downpour the previous evening.

More rain delayed proceedings on the second morning, but once play began Levy flew out of the traps on the back nine.

The 24 year old, 28th on The Race to Dubai, carded three consecutive birdies from the 13th hole, including with two brilliant approach shots that almost found the hole.

Colsaerts also started on the tenth and made two gains to sit on 13 under alongside Levy who then chipped in from the edge of the first green just ahead of the rain intervening.

When they players got going again Levy immediately birdied the second but Colsaerts bogeyed the first to drop to 12 under, three shots behind Levy.

Colsaerts was three shots ahead of a chasing pack as the players made the most of the last daylight, although few if any second rounds would be completed on Friday.

Chinese teen dazzles

Chinese teenager Li Haotong set a course record with a six-under-par 65 to take the second round lead at the Nanshan China Masters on Friday.

Li, who is only 19, leapt to the head of the pack in the $1 million OneAsia event at Nanshan International Golf Club, three shots ahead of New Zealand’s Nick Gillespie and American Garrett Sapp.

“I had many good putts today,” said Li, who has been part of China’s national team since he was 14. “I will not think about the result because every time I do, I get thirsty to win and then I don’t win.” Daniel Woltman of the US had shared the lead after the first round, but his tournament fell apart with a five-over-par 76. His fellow overnight joint leader, Australian Rhein Gibson, also slipped back with a 70 but remained in fourth place.

The Nanshan International Golf Club hosts the training center for the Chinese team.

Ryu on top in Malaysia

In Kuala Lumpur, So Yeon Ryu birdied five of her first seven holes en route to a six-under-par 65 and a two-stroke lead at the half-way point in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia tournament on Friday.

The South Korean added two more birdies on the back nine before suffering the only blemish on her card at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, a bogey on the par-four 14th hole, leaving her at 11-under for the event.

Hot on her heels were a hard-charging trio tied at 9-under, led by Japan’s Ayako Uehara, who orchestrated a bogey-free 63.

England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff and 17-year-old phenomenon Lydia Ko of New Zealand stayed level with Uehara after both shot 64.

South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji joined them 9-under, while three golfers — Shanshan Feng of China, Azahara Munoz of Spain, and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum — were a further stroke back.

World No.1 Stacy Lewis, who held the first-round lead, surrendered it after the American posted an uncharacteristic four bogeys on the front nine on the way to an even-par 71, leaving her five strokes off the lead.

Last year’s winner Lexi Thompson of the United States saw her hopes of a repeat suffer a blow as she struggled Friday to a 73, putting her at two-over for the tournament, well off the pace.

The $2 million tournament is part of a multi-event swing through Asia by the US LPGA.

Ryder Cup players toil

South Korea’s Bae Sang-moon plundered the par-fives to join American Andres Gonzales in the lead after the first round at the $6 million Frys.com Open in Napa, California on Thursday.

Bae birdied all four of the par-fives at Silverado Country Club in the wine country north of San Francisco in an ideal start to the 2014-15 PGA Tour season.

They headed Martin Laird by one stroke, while fellow Briton Lee Westwood began slowly with a 73, barely a week after being part of the victorious European Ryder Cup team.

Defending champion Jimmy Walker, who played on the losing American team at Gleneagles, started even more poorly with a 75.

His teammate Hunter Mahan was considerably better with a respectable 70, while Matt Kuchar carded 71.

The 28-year-old Bae is coming off a mediocre season in which he finished 122nd in the ranking.

He put all that behind him, though, with five birdies on his outward nine.

Gonzales, who played on a crisp morning that quickly warmed to an ideal autumn day, matched Bae’s seven birdies and one bogey.

Australian Jarrod Lyle, in his first tour event since overcoming leukemia for the second time, double-bogeyed the 17th hole for a 72.