Nordea Masters 2016: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Matthew Fitzpatrick ended a weather-interrupted Friday at the top of the leaderboard for the 2016 Nordea Masters in Stockholm, after shooting a low round of 65 to finish seven under par on the day and 11 under overall. 

Fitzpatrick was still one shot ahead of Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts when play was suspended roughly one hour ahead of schedule because of the threat of lightning. The tournament's official site confirmed the stoppage.

But play restarted, which allowed Englishmen Ross Fisher and Andrew Johnston to move up the board and form a logjam in second place.

Here's what the leaderboard looks like after Round 2:

Position	Player	To Par	Today	Round 2
1	Matthew Fitzpatrick	-11	-7	65
T2	Nicolas Colsaerts	-8	-6	66
T2	Ross Fisher	-8	-4	68
T2	Andrew Johnston	-8	-3	69
T2	Scott Henry	-8	-3	69
T2	Alexander Bjork	-8	-4	68
7	Thomas Linard	-7	-4	68
T8	Mikko Ilonen	-6	-2	70
T8	Florian Fritsch	-6	-1	71
T8	Jean Hugo	-6	-5	67

All scorecard information via EuropeanTour.com.

Recap

Fitzpatrick started well, hitting a pair of birdies over the first four holes. He hit a birdie again on the par-three seventh, beginning the hole with an exceptional drive to the green.

The European Tour relayed a highlight of the deft shot:

Another two birdies, first at the 10th and then the 12th, started things the right way on the final nine.

Finally, a birdie on the par-four 18th wrapped up a bogey-free round for the Englishman to give him top billing on the leaderboard.

Not being able to produce the same error-free golf kept Colsaerts second, although he made an even better start than Fitzpatrick, as the Belgian hit an eagle to begin his round in style.

Yet a bogey at the eighth put a stain on his scorecard. Reaching par over the final three holes was steady stuff, but not the lift Colsaerts needed to overhaul Fitzpatrick.

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Fisher applied the most pressure to Colsaerts, finishing four under on the day after a round of 68. An eagle on the ninth was Fisher's highlight, but a bogey on the 12th and par over the final three holes meant he finished level overall with Colsaerts at eight under. 

Johnston recovered from a double bogey on the 10th and a bogey at the 13th to eventually finish the round in a tie for second. He sank birdies at the 15th and 16th, before a birdie finish left him three under at 69 and tied for second overall.

Johnston and Co. have been joined in second place by Swede Alexander Bjork, whose run of birdies contributed to a find round, per Every Day Golfer:

If there was one player who welcomed the weather-enforced delay, it was three-time winner Lee Westwood. He's five under after a round of 71, thanks to his performance after play had resumed, which included a trio of birdies:

On a day of spectacular shots, Frenchman Romain Wattel contributed his own memorable moment on the par-four fifth when he narrowly missed a hole-in-one and a rare albatross:

Wattel eventually settled for a birdie. But a bogey on the 10th undermined his efforts on the back nine, and he settled for a finish of three under.

Spectacular shots weren't in short supply from homegrown player Rikard Karlberg. He hit an eagle to end the first nine and, like Wattel, nearly claimed an ace, this one on the par-three 17th:

But bogeys on the 13th and 18th left Karlberg three under on the day and six shots short overall.

Even in a crowded cut, Fitzpatrick's three-shot lead is a healthy one. Barring disaster on Day 3, he should head into the final round only needing to hold his nerve to win the tournament.