George Coetzee opened up a one-shot lead in the second round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic before play was suspended due to high winds at Emirates Golf Club.
Strong winds had been predicted and they duly arrived, preventing any of the early starters from getting any closer than within three shots of Sergio Garcia's overnight lead of seven under.
Coetzee managed to edge ahead of the Spaniard as he picked up three shots in his first eight holes to get to nine under but with the wind taking down some trees on the course and rain arriving, play was suspended at 2.26pm.
Play was scheduled to restart at 7.30am on Saturday morning with all of the second wave still on course having completed between two and nine holes.
Round three will be a two-tee start in three-balls and will not begin before 12.00pm.
"We've had a fairly challenging day today with the wind," said Tournament Director Mike Stewart. "Winds increased during the course of lunchtime into the early afternoon to the point where we had gusts approaching 36 miles an hour and beyond.
"The result was the last hour of play, effectively, before we suspended, it was such that we had a lot of things going on on the golf course.
"We had TV towers that the roofs were blown off. We had balls moving on the greens - blew into a bunker at one stage - five trees came down, it was very unsafe and it was unplayable. So we brought the players off the golf course in the interests of play and safety to the spectators, as well.
"Hopefully we can get most of the third round completed tomorrow. We'll still have a bit to conclude on Sunday and, all going well, we'll still have a good chance of finishing on time on Sunday afternoon."
We'll still have a bit to conclude on Sunday and, all going well, we'll still have a good chance of finishing on time on Sunday afternoon - Mike Stewart
One man who did not make a start on day two was Tiger Woods, with the 14-time Major Championship winnerforced to withdraw from the event due to back spasms.
Coetzee flew out of the blocks with birdies on the tenth and 11th and when he added another gain on the 13th he had a two-shot lead. A bogey on the next stalled his progress and despite an impressive par save on the 15th, Garcia fought back.
He birdied the second and then made a beautiful up-and-down from a tricky position on the third to regain his lead before dropping a shot after pushing his tee-shot on the par three fourth.
Garcia parred the fifth but Coetzee then made a nice six-footer on the 17th to edge ahead.
Nacho Elvira made a birdie on the 13th, to sit at six under after four holes, a shot clear of David Lipsky who was level par after seven.
Martin Kaymer and Rafa Cabrera Bello were the leaders in the clubhouse at four under after signing for rounds of 69.
Kaymer made a fast start with birdies on the tenth and 11th but dropped a shot on the 15th before picking it back up on the 18th. Back-to-back birdies followed on the second and third before a second bogey of the day on the seventh.
Cabrera Bello was heading for a bogey-free effort with gains on the tenth, 13th, second and third but he dropped a shot on the sixth.
Felipe Aguilar, Lasse Jensen, Maximilian Kieffer, Graeme McDowell, amateur Rayhan Thomas and Henrik Stenson were also at four under playing the front nine.
