Lee Slattery fired a brilliant second round 65 in wet and cold conditions to set the clubhouse target, before play was suspended for the day at the D+D REAL Czech Masters.
The Englishman – a two-time European Tour winner – has one top-ten only so far this season and sits 107th on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, but he found his form in spectacular style in Prague.
He recorded eight birdies and a single bogey to get to seven-under, four shots clear of Zander Lombard, who was his nearest challenger in the clubhouse.
The rain had been falling heavily throughout the morning and by early afternoon the course became flooded, with play suspended at 14:20pm local time and the final four groups having all 18 holes still to complete.
South African Dylan Frittelli was one-under after four holes to sit a shot off the lead, one clear of England’s Chris Hanson and Swede Pontus Widegren, both of whom had completed a single hole.
South African Lombard had five birdies and four bogeys in his 71, with countryman Jaco Ahlers, 2014 champion Jamie Donaldson, German Bernd Ritthammer and Austrian Martin Wiegele all on the front nine also at three-under.
Englishmen Pepperell and Matthew Fitzpatrick, last week’s winner Julian Suri, 2015 champion Thomas Pieters and Italian Matteo Manassero were then all in the clubhouse at two-under.
The second round will restart at 7:30am on Saturday, with the third round being played in three-balls off two tees and not starting before 12:45pm.
