SAM BURNS CLUNG to a two-stroke lead over Matthew Fitzpatrick when darkness halted the wind-hit third round of the US PGA Genesis Invitational on Saturday.
Burns closed with back-to-back bogeys to stand on 10-under overall with five holes remaining when sunset halted play with 23 golfers — including 11 of the top 14 on the leaderboard — needing to finish their third round at cold and blustery Riviera Country Club.
World number 149 Burns matched the 36-hole Riviera course record at 12-under par to lead by five when the day began, then had to wait out a wind delay of three hours and 54 minutes before starting his round.
The American, chasing his first PGA title, still led by five strokes until the final half hour of play, when he made a three-putt bogey at the par-four 12th and missed a seven-foot par putt at the par-four 13th.
Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, sank a 22-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th and stood on eight-under with one hole remaining.
World number one Dustin Johnson was in a third-place pack on seven-under with fellow Americans Max Homa and Wyndham Clark. Johnson, the reigning Masters champion, and Homa had five holes remaining. Clark had three.
Gusting high winds caused unsafe and unplayable conditions, blowing balls off greens and toppling equipment.
It was the first time wind had caused unplayable conditions to suspend a tour event since the second round of the 2015 British Open at St Andrews.
