Danny Willett, a 27-year-old Englishman, took the early lead in the second round of the British Open on Friday at St. Andrews in Scotland.
After an extended delay for heavy rain and lightning, play started a little after 10 a.m. local time, or 5 a.m. Eastern time. The softened greens proved amenable to birdies, at least for the early players.
Willett, who is second in this year’s European Tour rankings but has never finished in the top 10 at a major, had five birdies and two bogeys to complete two rounds at nine under, two strokes ahead of the field in the early going.