Germany's Marcel Siem takes French Open lead
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Germany' Marcel Siem shot a 3-under 68 on Friday in wet and windy conditions at Le Golf National to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the French Open.
Siem had five birdies and a double bogey on the Albatross Course. He had a 6-under 136 total.
"I think we had four seasons in a day," said Siem, who has four top-10 finishes this year and won the 2004 Dunhill Championship.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sweden's Alexander Noren was second after a 67. Denmark's Anders Hansen and South Africa's George Coetzee shot 68 to reach 4 under. France's Raphael Jacquelin had a 71 to match Italy's Francesco Molinari (68) and England's David Lynn (72) at 3 under.
Play was suspended in the afternoon for about 90 minutes because of the threat of lightning.
"Didn't come right over the top at the end, but too dangerous to leave the players out there," tournament director David Probyn said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The big names are still in the running. Ian Poulter (69) and 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell (69) were five shots off the pace, World Match Play champion Nicolas Colsaerts (72) was six strokes back, and third-ranked Lee Westwood (73) seven back.
"It's a U.S. Open-esque tee-to-green course," McDowell said. "The greens are fairly big targets. The greens are actually bigger targets than the fairways are at this golf course. It's going to be a war of attrition this weekend, and I'm really happy the way I'm hitting the golf ball."
Poulter found the course tough and the fairways too tight.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It was a flattering score I think," Poulter said. "I've definitely got away with what could have been a poor round of golf."