Four share early second-round lead in soggy Shanghai

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Graeme McDowell shared a one-shot lead as the final grouping reached the halfway point of the second round at the rain-disrupted HSBC Champions Saturday.

After Friday's washout and a three-hour delay to Saturday's start, the skies finally cleared and offered hope that the players might still be able to play the full 72 holes, even if the fourth round now looks likely to be completed Monday.

Sweden's first-round leader Stenson mixed a couple of birdies with a bogey on his front nine to move to eight under par and Australian Scott joined him by picking up three shots before the turn.

Briton McDowell was the best of the early starters, racing to the top of the leaderboard with seven birdies through the 15th but Australian Ogilvy was also going well at six under for the day through the 13th. Neither player had dropped a shot.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson had two birdies and a bogey at the turn to move to seven under and he shared fifth place with his Zimbabwean playing partner Marc Cayeux.

Spain's Sergio Garcia, who could overhaul Mickelson as world number two with a win this weekend, parred every hole on the front nine to stay a stroke behind his American rival in a tie for seventh with four other players.

Organizers had hoped to start play at 645am local time (10:45 p.m. British time) and complete the whole of the second round and half of the third Saturday but light rain continued to fall on the Sheshan International Golf Club overnight, delaying the start.

The $5 million (2.13 million pounds) Champions, Asia's joint richest tournament, is co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours, the PGA Tour of Australasia, South Africa's Sunshine Tour and the China Golf Association.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)