Play suspended at Qatar Masters due to wind

DOHA, Qatar (AP) -Strong winds moved golf balls and tosses around signs at the Qatar Masters on Friday, forcing European Tour officials to suspend play.

Officials made the call at 9:13 a.m. local time after the winds gusting upwards of 40 kilometers per hour (25 mph) became a safety issue. They said the earliest that play could resume was 1:15 p.m. which means about half the field is unlikely to be finish their round.

About 66 golfers had started the second round in Doha before the suspension, with no player showing signs of challenging first-round leader Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. The Spaniard remained one shot ahead of John Daly who had jumped out to the early clubhouse lead in Thursday's first round.

Daly (67) was followed by K.J. Choi (68) and Jason Day (68). Six players, including 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie and Nicolas Colsaerts, were three shots off the pace.

Martin Kaymer (71) and Sergio Garcia (72) were in contention, but about two-thirds of the field shot over par, including defending champion Thomas Bjorn (79).

Meanwhile, Jose Manuel Lara of Spain, who shot 9-over 81 on Thursday, withdrew Friday with a bad back.

It isn't uncommon for strong winds to disrupt play. It happened last month in California, when PGA officials suspended play midway through the third round of the Humana Challenge after winds toppled trees, blew balls off the green and knocked a scoreboard into a lake.