Paul Peterson opened up a two-shot lead on day one of the Joburg Open before play was suspended due to a waterlogged course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.
Torrential rain had soaked the course through much of the week, leading to the cancellation of Tuesday's Pro-Am, but sterling work from the ground staff meant that the course was in good condition for the start of play.
American Peterson was among those to take advantage of the early dry conditions, moving to nine under with a 62 on the West Course before the heavens opened again and play was suspended at 2.35pm with 98 players still out on the course.
With the rain continuing to fall heavily, play was abandoned for the day within an hour and was set to resume at 6.45am on Friday morning.
Peterson has enjoyed a steady start to the season as he looks to follow up a 2016 campaign that brought him a first European Tour victory at the D+D REAL Czech Masters
He went out and came back in 31 on Thursday to sit two shots ahead of English pair Aaron Rai and Paul Waring - both playing the East Course that will be used for the full field after the cut - with a spot at The Open Championship available to the top three players in the top ten at the end of the week who are not exempt.
Peterson made a blistering start with birdies on the first, second, fifth, sixth and ninth to turn at five under. He holed from eight feet on the 14th for another birdie before taking advantage of the par five next and putting his tee-shot on the par three 16th to three feet.
A closing birdie then put the icing on the cake as the 28 year old set an intimidating target.
"It was fun out there today," he said. "Birdieing half of the holes is never bad and bogey-free to match, so I felt really good out there. I got into a nice rhythm and I put a new putter in play this week. It proved to be a good first round with it so I'm really happy.
"Thankfully we were in the fairway a lot, ball in hand always nice but I feel like I've been playing really well the last few weeks and I feel like a round like this has been building, so to have it happen sooner than I thought is great.
"I'm feeling like I'm in a good place right now."
With the East Course generally regarded as the tougher of the two layouts being used this week, both Rai and Waring could be pleased with their day's work.
Rai set the early pace from just the second group out, birdieing the first, fifth, sixth and eighth to turn in 33. Another gain followed on the 14th before an excellent curling right-to-lefter on the next and a birdie on the last saw him hit the front.
I feel like a round like this has been building, so to have it happen sooner than I thought is great - Paul Peterson
Waring was even more impressive on the front nine, making birdies on the first, fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth and while he took his tally of gains to nine on the way in, he also recorded two bogeys.
Swede Sebastian Soderberg was then at six under with a single bogey in his 66 on the East, while Frenchman Romain Langasque fired a 65 on the par 71 West, with an eagle on the ninth.
Jbe Kruger is one of just three players in the field already exempt for the year's third Major Championship at Royal Birkdale and he too fired a 65 on the West with birdies on the second, third, sixth, ninth, 14th and 15th.
Home trio Dean Burmester, Dylan Frittelli and Teaghan Gauche, Italian Francesco Laporta and Spaniard Pep Angles were then all at five under alongside George Coetzee and Adilson da Silva, who had five and six holes remaining respectively.
English trio Paul Maddy, Chris Paisley and Jordan Smith, Frenchmen Damien Perrier and Joël Stalter, Scot Marc Warren and South African Jaco Prinsloo were in the clubhouse five shots off the lead, with defending champion Haydn Porteous in that group having completed 13 holes.
