KUALA LUMPUR — Lee Westwood surged four shots clear at the halfway stage of the European Tour's Malaysian Open Friday after an eventful second round where Spain's Pablo Larrazabal was forced to dive into a lake to avoid a swarm of hornets. The former world No. 1 Englishman took his two-day total to 13-under after a six-under-par 66 and put himself in prime position to end an almost two-year trophy drought. Filipino Antonio Lascuna and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts were his nearest challengers at nine-under. Westwood has been without a win since claiming the 2012 Nordea Masters in Sweden and the trophy-less spell has seen his world ranking slip to 36. Westwood matched his eight-birdie opening round again Friday but was pulled back by a double-bogey on the 11th hole at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club with his tee-shot ending in the water. The water proved a haven for Spain's Larrazabal, though, as he encountered the “scariest” moment of his career when he had to dive into a lake after being attacked by hornets on the fifth hole. Larrazabal, who was stung around 20 times, returned to the course after a couple of injections and a change of shirt and birdied the par-five hole – his 14th. Lascuna, 43, had a far more pleasurable day in the Kuala Lumpur heat as he set the early clubhouse target in the $2.75 million Asian Tour co-sanctioned event with a seven-under-par 65 in the morning. His round consisting of eight birdies and a lone bogey. Belgian Colsaerts, who was a stroke back from Westwood after the opening round, gained four shots on the front nine but suffered a cold putter on the back during a round of three-under-par 69. Three-way tie at Heritage Matt Kuchar shrugged off his Masters near-miss last week to share the lead after the opening round of the RBC Heritage in South Carolina Thursday. Kuchar, who contended in Sunday's final round at Augusta National before slipping back into a tie for fifth, put that disappointment behind him and shot a five-under-par 66 on a cool, breezy morning. Kucher ended the round level with fellow Americans William McGirt and Scott Langley, both of whom played in the warmer and less difficult conditions of the afternoon. The relatively short course has attracted several veterans, including golfing greats Tom Watson and Nick Faldo and five-time Heritage winner Davis Love. Watson, 64, did not come close to breaking his age, shooting 75, but he enjoyed the chance to play with 20-year-old Jordan Spieth. Masters runner-up Spieth is likely to be a member of the Watson-captained United States Ryder Cup team which will take on holders Europe in Scotland in September. Love missed a short putt at the last to shoot a 70, while Faldo could not conjure up the old magic as he battled to a 77. Stanford seizes LPGA lead In Kapolei, the United States, Angela Stanford nabbed eight birdies in an eight-under par 64 Thursday to grab the second-round lead at the LPGA Lotte Championship. Stanford, a five-time LPGA Tour winner, improved her score from the first round by eight shots, her eight-under par total of 136 giving her a one-stroke lead over fellow American Michelle Wie. Wie carded a bogey-free five-under par 67 at Ko Olina Golf Club for a seven-under par total of 137. World No. 1 Park In-bee of South Korea, seeking her first title of 2014, carded a 68 to head a group on 138 that also included seventh-ranked South Korean Ryu So-yeon, 16-time LPGA winner Cristie Kerr and South Korea's Kim Hyo-joo, who is playing on a sponsor's exemption. Ryu and Kim both carded 70s, while Kerr shot 66 to join the group sharing third. — Agencies
