Two-time Major winner Martin Kaymer made an excellent start to the final round of the Alstom Open de France before play was suspended due to the threat of lightning.
Kaymer began the day four shots behind leader Jaco van Zyl, but birdied the first after a superb approach to two feet and then got up and down from the edge of the par five third to pick up another shot.
And with South African Van Zyl dropping a shot on the second after a poor chip, Kaymer was just one shot off the lead alongside fellow German Max Kieffer, who had opened with two pars to remain eight under.
Kaymer had just hit his tee shot on the fifth when an approaching thunderstorm forced players from the course at Le Golf National, the venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup.
England's James Morrison and Austria's Bernd Wiesberger were two shots off the lead on seven under par.
