Marco Penge moved two shots clear at the Husqvarna British Masters after completing 32 holes during another weather-disrupted day at The Belfry.

The Englishman followed an opening 69 by reaching 8-under through 14 holes of his second round, taking him to 11-under for the tournament. Daniel Hillier, the 2023 champion, was his nearest challenger on 9-under.

Storms stopped play for two hours and 11 minutes on Friday, bringing the week’s total delay to nine hours and 21 minutes. Nobody completed the second round, while half the field had yet to begin it.

Penge takes control on the Brabazon Course

Penge started the day by completing a bogey-free first round. He birdied the 2nd and 9th holes before taking advantage of the par-5 17th to sign for 69.

His second round began at the par-4 10th, where he drove the green and converted an 11-foot eagle putt. After saving par at the 13th despite driving out of bounds, he hit his tee shot to eight feet at the next and made birdie.

Further gains at the 16th and 17th brought him level with Nacho Elvira. Penge then moved clear with birdies at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, including a putt from just under 30 feet at the 2nd. A chip-in at the 5th took him to 11-under before play was suspended.

Across his 32 holes, Penge made ten birdies and an eagle while dropping only one shot.

The performance followed a difficult start to 2026 for the 28-year-old, who described his season as a “nightmare” on Wednesday. Health problems have limited his schedule and forced him to miss the US Open.

Penge won three times last season after securing his maiden DP World Tour title at the Hainan Classic. He also finished sixth at the British Masters and earned dual membership with the PGA Tour.

Hillier leads the chasing group

Hillier also opened with a 69 before making six second-round birdies. He was 9-under through 14 holes and faced an 18-foot birdie putt at the sixth when the hooter sounded.

Shaun Norris and Matthew Jordan were 7-under with holes remaining. Elvira shared that mark after finishing his delayed opening round with a 65, an improvement on his previous best at the Brabazon Course.

“I would say this course my kryptonite,” Elvira said. “I have always struggled on this course. I struggled off the tee.”

Davis Bryant was 6-under without starting round two, alongside Ewen Ferguson, who had completed ten holes. Ryggs Johnston holed a five iron from 215 yards at the 12th for his second ace of the season.

Play will resume at 7.30am on Saturday. The remaining second-round starters will tee off from 8.45am, with round three scheduled to begin no earlier than 4pm.

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