SIMON DYSON was facing a long day of action in the Turkish Airlines Open.

The York-born golfer endured a topsy-turvy second round in the $7 million tournament at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal course at Antalya before thunderstorms, and the threat of lightning, forced the abandonment of play.

Dyson stood at level par following a dozen holes that brought only three pars.

While the Malton & Norton GC’s first round back nine had been a model of consistency - marked by eight pars - his second was more eventful from the beginning.

Starting on the tenth hole, Dyson traded bogeys and birdies through the first four holes. He birdied the 16th but bogeyed the 18th as he went round in a level 37 strokes.

His erratic form showed no sign of steadying as he started the second half of his round - a birdie at the first marred by another bogey at the second before play was halted.

That means Dyson will have to play seven holes to complete his second round before embarking on a fresh 18 later today.

His four under par total sees him in tied 20th, nine shots behind leader Ian Poulter, who continued his brilliant form.

Tee times had been brought forward by 90 minutes in an attempt to get play completed, but the forecast thunderstorm arrived earlier than expected and forced play to be suspended shortly after noon local time.

Poulter had just completed the 14th hole at the time and wrote on Twitter: "Now that was a close call. On 14th green when lightning struck very close by. Could be a long delay now. Storm could be in for a while."

Tournament officials initially announced play would resume after a delay of more than two-and-a-half hours, only for the weather to close in again shortly before the planned restart.

Play was therefore abandoned for the day and scheduled to restart at 8am today, with Poulter holding a three-shot lead over Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge.

Poulter, whose opening 64 meant he was a total of 27 under par for his last five rounds in Antalya, began the day a shot behind Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and saw the gap widen as the oldest winner in European Tour history made birdies at the first two holes.

However, Jimenez - who will celebrate his 51st birthday in January - then bogeyed the fourth and Poulter took advantage with birdies on the same hole and the sixth and seventh to move into the lead.