Daniel Chopra holds the halfway lead at the Iskandar Johor Open but a trio of players have the Swede in their sights two shots back.
Chopra heads the field on 13 under par after posting a 65 on Friday but with play suspended for two hours in the afternoon, it meant a host of players returned to Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club on Saturday morning to finish their second rounds.
Having played the front nine level par on Friday, Padraig Harrington picked up four birdies coming back to sign for a 67 and move to within two strokes of Chopra on 11 under par.
“It was important to get as close to Daniel as I could because we don’t know if there are 18 or 36 holes left to play,” said Harrington.
“I was very aware of that coming down the last nine holes, and even on the last hole. The pin is very tight to the water but I decided to attack the flag with my pitch anyway, which maybe I wouldn’t have done if I knew for definite there was still 36 holes left to play.
“It does change your mindset a little bit because there’s no point playing it safe at this stage. I need to make up ground because I’m running out of holes.”
Harrington joined James Morrison and Gregory Bourdy on 11 under. Morrison continued his fine recent form with a 65 that contained six birdies including three in his last three holes, while Bourdy returned a 67 featuring six birdies and two bogeys.
"It was a very nice finish, and I’m glad to be in the cool for a while because it’s getting very hot out there now. I hit a decent drive down the last then hit a good hybrid rescue club onto the fringe and managed to get down in two from there. So I’m very happy," said Morrison.
"I said to my caddie Richard this morning, it’d be nice to get in the last group because if we’re only going to play three rounds, then it’s important to be in touching distance of the lead. That finish today, with three birdies on the bounce, could be crucial."
Bourdy was also satisfied with a strong finish.
"I struggled a bit yesterday, then this morning I made a silly bogey on the sixth hole. I didn’t feel that comfortable until the back nine, and then when I birdied the 13th hole, I started to find my rhythm again," said the Frenchman.
"I played the last few holes really well, and got myself back into a great position. I’m very happy because even when I wasn’t playing well I stayed patient, and in the end it worked out well for me."
First round leader Joost Luiten, meanwhile, carded a 70 that saw the Dutchman drop to fifth on nine under par.
