Argentina's Daniel Vancsik had his bid for a second European Tour victory halted by the weather at the BMW Italian Open in Turin as play was suspended at 16:10 local time.
Two ahead of Finland's Roope Kakko, but bunkered short of the 16th green, Vancsik was forced to return to the clubhouse along with the other seven players still on the course because of the danger of lightning.
Vancsik, winner of the 2007 Madeira Islands Open but now 420th in the world, was 13 under par, while Kakko - himself down at 472nd on the rankings - was 11 under with two to play.
Northern Ireland's Gareth Maybin, partnering Vancsik and one further back, was in the same bunker at the 16th, but for three after finding the rough off the tee. He needed to hole his next shot to salvage par.
American John Daly returned a third successive 69 and at six under was in a tie for 11th in the second event of his comeback after four months out.
The former Open Championship winner has come down from 20 to 16 stones since undergoing lap-band stomach surgery three months ago.
Seven players had held at least a share of the lead earlier in the day, but halfway pacesetter Vancsik opened a gap again with a superb burst around the turn.
After a birdie on the seventh he almost sank his approach to the 379 yard ninth, pitched to three feet at the next and splashed out of sand to six feet for a third successive birdie on the long 11th.
A sixth birdie of the round then came at the 449 yard 14th, but Kakko, who received a late call-up to the tournament, had six birdies as well in his first 15 holes.
Leader in the clubhouse on nine under was South African Thomas Aiken, who birdied four of the last six holes and had eight in all, but also double bogeyed the 16th.
Aiken is just back from a week in a game reserve "doing absolutely nothing", adding: "You basically sleep in the day and then go out.
"I think you need to have a balance. You can get stuck in to taking golf too seriously. Just being there is special - seeing lions and leopards and various other species is a bonus."
Daly was 31st in Spain last week and is staying in Europe to play next week's 3 Irish Open, then the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and The European Open in Kent.
He has now broken 70 in his last four rounds and commented: "I don't know what other people were expecting of me coming back, but I just hope those close to me are happy.
"I'm a little frustrated, though, because I haven't had any consistency with my putter yet."
England's Robert Rock is at eight under with one to go. Only two days he destroyed his putter in anger after an opening 72.
