A little too close for comfort was the verdict of Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke yesterday as lightning forced the first round of the Benson and Hedges Malaysian Open to be halted in Kuala Lumpur.

But their relief at reaching the safety of the Saujana clubhouse was nothing compared to that of Australian television cameraman Gil Oberhofer.

Working for Asia Sport, he was on a tower behind the 14th green when he felt a sensation in his back.

An ambulance was sent, but Oberhofer assured the medical personnel that he felt perfectly fine and was suffering no ill-effects.

Tournament director David Garland said later that it may have been a build-up of static rather than an actual strike which Oberhofer experienced.

But Westwood described it as "ridiculous" that he and 55 other players were still on the course when the decision to suspend play was taken late in the afternoon.

"We were on the 15th tee, which is just about the most exposed and open spot on the whole course, and we then heard that somebody had been struck just below us," Westwood said.

"That was very close," added Clarke, who was playing in the match immediately behind.

Spectators were killed by strikes at both the US Open and US PGA championships earlier this decade and Lee Trevino is among players to have been hit in the past.

Valen Tan, tournament director for the Asian Tour - jointly running the event with the European tour - said hooters were sounded the moment that the lightning device on the clubhouse roof registered a strike within a five to 10mile radius.

"Vehicles were then sent out immediately to pick up players, caddies and spectators and we had already designated areas as evacuation points," he added.

Westwood and Clarke, both making their first appearances of the season, will resume their rounds this morning - and they already have a lot of ground to make up.

Westwood, the world number six, is three-over-par with four to play and Clarke two-over after 13 holes.

The lead was established early in the day - before the humidity which preceded the storm became a real factor - by American Christian Pena and China's Zhang Lian-wei, both of whom had six-under-par rounds of 66.

Pena and Zhang are one ahead of Filipino Frankie Minoza and another American based on the Asian Tour, Gerry Norquist. He still has the par five 18th to complete.

The leading British player is David Howell at three-under with two to go. Westwood's new brother-in-law Andrew Coltart is in with a 70.

Westwood, his shirt soon soaked in sweat, confessed to feeling rusty as he three-putted the second and third greens. He turned in 37, double-bogeyed the short 12th, birdied the next, but then dropped another shot just before the suspension.

Clarke also had a double bogey, in his case on the 413-yard eighth, where he scuffed his second shot and then three-putted.

Pena's round came only four days after he was disqualified from the Myanmar Open when lying in second place - all because of some ants.

"In the second round my ball was lying in an area crawling in ants, so I automatically thought I could drop the ball," he recalled.

Wrong - he should have called for a referee. So when the incident came to light in a chance conversation with the tournament director two days later he was disqualified.

Zhang is easily the most famous of the 45 professionals in China - 21 men, 24 women - and last year beat Colin Montgomerie at the Dunhill Cup at St Andrews and out-scored Tiger Woods in the first two rounds of the Johnnie Walker Classic in Phuket.

"I'm not the same as Tiger Woods - people know him all over the world, but only the people in China who play golf know me," he said.

Coltart, hoping to move up in the next two weeks from his current 75th to 64th in the world rankings and so claim a place in the £3 million world match play championship in California from February 24th 28th, was content with his 70, but not with how he compiled it. "I didn't feel I was swinging that great," said the Scot. "It was a little bit scrappy, so I'll take the score.

"I need a win here or top five, I think, in Dubai next week to make the World Championship. I'm in a tough position and my back's against the wall, but we'll see what I can do."

Taiwan's Lu Wen-teh holed-in-one at the 216-yard second en route to a level par 71, but missed out on a special prize. A Jaguar car is on offer at the 16th and any player achieving an ace on the 12th wins his weight in whisky.