The Englishman, who finished tied third at The Masters Tournament a fortnight ago, made eight consecutive pars before adding birdies on the 18th and third and closing with consecutive gains for an 11 under par halfway total.
The World Number Three holds a dominant five shot lead over Kieran Pratt of Australia, winner of the Zaykabar Myanmar Open in February, who posted a sparkling 65 at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
Zaw Moe of Myanmar was on eight under through 12 holes before play was abandoned at 5.27pm local time due to lightning threat. Play was also suspended earlier in the day for two hours and 20 minutes for the same reason.
Moe will be among 74 players who will return at 6.30am Saturday to complete their rounds.
Westwood, who played in the morning, struggled with the humidity but he believes the extra rest will give him an edge over the chasing pack.
“You want to be leading tournaments and I obviously got the hang of playing on this golf course. More importantly, I was patient and I didn’t force things to happen. I’m glad I finished, I can relax this afternoon and prepare for the weekend,” he said.
“Yesterday was quite windy and overcast. It was very hot and humid early on and I suffered with that a little bit. It is just one of those things where it can be so hot that you can’t replenish the fluids. That’s Asia for you. I’m going to have to fluid up this afternoon.”
