8am Round-Up: Marc Warren retains lead in Malaysia

Marc Warren was out in two-under to sit 11-under overall in the Maybank Championship. Picture: Getty Images

American David Lipsky had moved within a shot of the Scot after carding a 67 at Saujana Golf & Country Club to hold the clubhouse lead on nine-under.

However, Warren responded with birdies at the 13th, his fourth, and 17th to move to 11-under for the tournament.

The 35-year-old, who is bidding for his fourth European Tour victory, was bogey-free for his first 27 holes, having been flawless in an opening 63 that contained an eagle and seven birdies.

Warren, who finished ninth in this event two years ago, reckoned the key to that opening effort, which equalled his best score on the European Tour, had been putting the ball in the right spots.

“My short irons were really good and I hit a lot of shots to the right parts of the greens,” he admitted. “It’s nice to keep it on the right side of the hole, that allowed me to be aggressive on the greens.”

Masters champion Danny Willett, who started the day three of the lead, dropped his first shot of the £2.4 million event at the par-5 eighth to slip five shots behind Warren.

David Drysdale, who started the 2017 campaign with five straight cuts before an early exit in Dubai last week, was sitting two shots outside the projected cut.

It followed a second successive 72 from the Cockburnspath man, whose second effort was a mix of four birdies and four bogeys.

Richie Ramsay, the third Scot in the field for the tris-sanctioned event, was also on level-par at the turn.

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Martin Laird’s opening effort in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am was a mixed bag at Monterey Peninsula.

The Scot signed for an eagle, three birdies and five bogeys as he recorded a level-par 72 in tough conditions on the Californian coast.

It left him sitting joint-37th when play was suspended for the day due to the inclement weather.

American duo Rick Lamb and Joel Dahmen, along with Korea’s Seung-Yul Noh share the clubhouse lead on 68.

Two-time major winner Jordan Spieth is a shot behind the trio with two holes to play at Monterey Peninsula.

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Three Scots - Carly Booth, Michele Thomson and Kylie Henry - are through to the weekend in the Oates Vic Open in Australia.

Booth jumped 21 spots into a share of 14th spot on the back of a five-under-par 68 in her second round at 13th Beach Golf Links.

Thomson, who opened with a 69 to sit 11th, is joint-26th after a 74 while Henry made it on the mark as the cut fell at level-par after a battling 71.

Overnight leader Laura Davies was unable to reproduce the fireworks that saw her roll back the years with an opening 65, which equalled the course record.

The former world No 1 slipped to joint-18th after a 76 as Dane Nicole Broch Larsen took over topt spot with a second successive 67.

On 12-under, she leads by two shots from a four-strong group that includes England’s Holly Clyburn and Germany’s Sandra Gal.

Despite a second-round 70, Gemma Dryburgh missed the cut by a couple of shots while there was also an early exit for Kelsey Macdonald.

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Colin Montgomerie has two Spaniards for company when he starts out today in the Allianz Championship in Florida.

Jose Maria Olazabal, who is making his Champions Tour debut, and Miguel Angel Jimenez are the Scot’s playing partners in the opening round at The Old Course at Broken Sound in Boca Raton.

Sandy Lyle is out with two major champions, Tom Kite and Hale Irwin, while Paul McGinley, another player making his debut on the over-50s circuit, has John Daly and David Toms in his group.

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Scottish duo Liam Johnston and Craig Ross sit seven and 10 shots off the lead respectively heading into the final round of the South African Stroke-Play Championship at Kingswood in George.

As Irishman Robin Dawson stormed into the lead with a 65, Johnston signed for a 67 while Ross slipped back with a 73.

In the Portuguese Amateur Championship at Montado, Euan McIntosh (75-72) is lying in joint-40th, 11 shots behind English leader Joshua McMahon, while Barry Hume is three shots further back after he came home in 41 in a second-round 78.

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English duo Paul Hendriksen and James Ruth won the PGAs of Europe Fourball Championship at Lumine Golf in Spain.

A closing 64 at the Tarragona venue for a 17-under-par total saw them claim a €6,150 top prize by two shots in the 54-hole event.

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Chris Robb is a shot off the lead after the opening round in the Tony Jacklin Open, a Pro Golf Tour event in Morocco.

The former Scottish Amateur champion carded a seven-under-par 65 at Jacklin’s Casablanca Golf to Club to sit in a four-way tie for second behind Pedro Figueiredo from Portugal.

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Tartan Tour No 1 Greig Hutcheon finished joint-10th as Frenchman Franck Daux stormed to victory in the Alamos Classic, an Algarve Pro Tour event.

Daux carded rounds of 60 and 63 for a brilliant 19-under-par total, winning by four shots from home player Ricardo Santos.

Hutcheon signed for scores of 68 and 67 as he ended just ahead of Jimmy Mullen, a member of GB&I’s winning Walker Cup team at Royal Lytham in 2015.

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Forfar one-handicapper Liam Balneaves won the Midland Golfers’ Alliance event on the Burnside course at Carnoustie with a two-under-par 66.