DURBAN, December 12, 2013 (AFP) - A seven-hour delay due to rain marked Wednesday's first day, at the end of which Daniel Brooks was in the lead with an eight under par 62.
That round remained ahead by the end of Thursday's play although South African Oliver Bekker did advance to six under through 14 holes to join French pair Edouard Dubois and Romain Wattel in third. Fellow Frenchman François Calmels was second after a 63.
Bekker, who turned 29 on Wednesday, said: "You just keep your head down and grind. There's nothing you can do about it.
"If you can get past the mental battle and accept that it's the same for everyone, then I think you've already beaten half of the field.
"I'm actually happy with the delay, to be honest. The weather is brutal out there at the moment and I've got a couple of tough holes coming up, so hopefully it clears up and those holes become a little easier when I go back out."
The first round will resume at the crack of dawn on Friday with the second round due to start shortly afterwards.