Jose Maria Olazabal put himself on course to retain his Benson and Hedges International title today and achieve back-to-back victories on the European Tour.
Olazabal's driving got him into trouble on the front nine in the first round but his ironplay, as it did last week when he won the French Open, earned him a five-under-par 67 to lie just a stroke away from joint leaders Paul McGinley and Henrik Stenson.
Irishman McGinley and Stenson from Sweden set a morning target of 66 that Olazabal nearly equalled despite again suffering weather delays.
Play at The Belfry was suspended for one hour and 20 minutes in late afternoon because of lightning.
Olazabal had played 16 holes before the stoppage, fighting back from two bogeys in the middle of his front nine. Both came through errant tee-shots and cancelled out birdies on the first and third holes.
The Spanish double US Masters champion then came roaring into contention with five birdies in six holes after the turn.
"There were still a couple of mis-hit tee shots, more than a couple, and that is the area where I have to get rid of the mistakes," said Olazabal.
"I can get things right on the range but I can't take it to the tournament and I have to keep on fighting until I achieve that."
Olazabal can put himself on the brink of automatic Ryder Cup selection if he takes the 267,918 points on offer for first place, so relieving captain Sam Torrance of one wild-card headache.