Only if you are old, gnarled, carry a niblick and mashie in your bag, and are more than likely Scottish would you consider the second round of the Bermuda Open to have been golf.

Driving rain, 30 m.p.h.-plus winds, and rock-hard greens created conditions that would have turned even the best players to jibbering wrecks, and the fact that a five-over par round was a good one says everything.

And it might be even worse today, with forecasters predicting winds of up to 50 m.p.h. Such is the concern within the Bermuda Golf Association that a decision is due to be made this morning on whether the third round can be played at Port Royal.

Having to hit a five iron to reach the flag 150 yards away, watching the ball shift 30 yards from left to right in the wind, and dealing with greens that were so hard it was virtually impossible to stop the ball from distance were just some of the interesting scenarios that the players dealt with yesterday.

In those conditions the one-over par 72 that Brian McCann carded was akin to a 66, and the 74's registered by Jerry Bruner and Brennan Webb were equally impressive.

Bruner, who is one-over for the tournament, takes a three-shot lead going into today's third round, with McCann and Webb tied for second at four-over, and Chris Parra in fourth, a further two shots back.

"Low round of the day, I'm happy with that," said McCann. "My game, when the wind blows I can hit it under the wind, so it never bothers me. I finished with 11 straight pars – I've closed the gap so I'm three behind – I'm happy.

"I played really well, I drove it in the fairway, but not real solid, but my irons were real good, and I putted well – but nothing went in. I'm not saying it was a round that could have been 68 or 67, but it felt like it could have been better because of how many quality shots I hit in that wind, but I just didn't hole anything.

"Every ball that lands (on the greens) is bouncing 20-feet forward, so sometimes you can judge that, and I did that really, really well, but I made one birdie, and that was a two-putt from six-feet on seven."

With the poor weather expected to continue throughout the weekend, level par is still considered to be a possible winning score, and Webb was disappointed not to be closer to that target.

"I was three-under at one stage, hit the turn at two-under, but then got onto a bad streak," said Webb. "I made four bogeys in a row, had a triple on 14, it is what it is, but it was a tough day out there.

"The turn is the only breathing point on the back nine, and to bogey all three holes was somewhat disappointing, but I've still got a chance. I haven't shot myself out of it, I'd love to be in the last group on Sunday, and see what happens.

"It would be a great opportunity this early in the year to see where my game stands, and see what happens."

While McCann was busy battling his way around the course, playing partner Scott Roy was having an equally good day. The Bermudian professional shot the second low-round of the day, a two-over 73, and is eighth in the leaderboard.

Of the local players Eric West is leading the pack, a shot ahead of Roy, after rounds of 76 and 77. Daniel Augustus meanwhile carded a respectable 78 in his second round and is 18, a shot behind Belmont Hill's Camiko Smith.

n The curse of the wrongly-signed score card struck for the second straight day, with Texan Jon Denney disqualified after signing for a par-four on the tenth when he took a bogey-five.