Andres Romero shot an “almost perfect” course-record equaling 65 to take the clubhouse lead at two over par as the third round of the US PGA Championship was disrupted by storms in the Detriot area.
Play was suspended at 2.16pm local time as the first storm cell hit Oakland Hills Country Club and thunderstorms and torrential rain continued to batter the course throughout the afternoon. At 6.35pm a decision was made to abandon play for the day and resume on Sunday.
The third round will now resume at 7.15am for those who have already started. Three groups were unable to get out of the starting blocks so Henrik Stenson and David Toms will now tee off at 7.20am, Justin Rose and Ben Curtis at 7.30am and Charlie Wi and JB Holmes at 7.30am.
The third round is expected to be completed at approximately 11.50 am. The final round will then be played in three balls, from both the first and tenth tees, with starting times beginning at 12.20pm through to 2.20pm.
While the leaders were unable to start their third rounds, those who did manage to get out on ‘The Monster’ as Oakland Hills’ South Course is known, discovered birdies could be found.
Romero produced what was undoubtedly the round of the week when he equaled the course record with an outstanding five under par 65 which puts him firmly in contention for the final Major of the season.
The Argentine, who started the day in 48th after rounds of 69 and 78, stormed through the field after carding seven birdies and just two bogeys in a five under par round.
There was little indication of what was to follow when a bogey at the third cancelled out a birdie at the par five second, but he collected further strokes at the sixth, seventh and ninth to reach the turn in 32.
Birdies followed at the tenth and 14th to take his score to five under par, but a bogey at the 15th halted the run. Despite the setback, he collected a birdie at the next hole before finishing with two pars for a 65, making him the ninth player in the club’s history to shoot 65.
“I played an excellent round,” said Romero. “Almost perfect. Yesterday I finished very nice with my round and now after this 18 holes I can't believe it, I have a chance for tomorrow and, well, I have to wait, but it's great to be here.”
Romero came agonisingly close to winning The 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie when he picked up ten birdies in his first 16 holes before finishing double bogey, bogey to finish third.
Now he has another shot a Major Championship glory.
“I learned a lot after that week,” he said. “I won in Germany and the following week I finished sixth in the WGC - Bridgestone and that helped me a lot not to get down after that loss. It was a very good experience after The Open.”
Jim Furyk is next in the clubhouse on eight over after a 70, but a host of players, including Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell who had picked up three shots to move to three over, were towards the end of their rounds when play was suspended because of dangerous weather.
McDowell, a two-time winner on The European Tour this year having captured the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea and The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, began with birdies at the par five second and the par four sixth, which tournament officials shortened from 387 yards following the second round, measuring 285 yards to the front of the green and 318 yards to the hole.
He then sandwiched a birdie on the eighth with bogeys at the seventh and ninth before picking up an eagle three at the 12th. A birdie came at the next, but he took a bogey on the 16th before play was suspended.
Colombia’s Camilo Villegas was another making in-roads on the leaders as he stood at four under par for the day and two over aggregate with four holes remaining for his third round.
Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson and Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng had also picked up three shots before play was suspended and were with McDowell on three over par.
Among the other players out on the course, playing partners Ernie Els and Reteif Goosen were both one under par through 13 holes to move to five over for the Championship, placing them alongside Ian Poulter, Alastair Forsyth and Padraig Harrington, all of whom were level par for the day. Robert Karlsson, joint leader after the first round, had dropped back to six over par after being one over through ten holes while Paul Casey was two over for his 14 holes to move to eight over par.
Overnight leader J B Holmes, on one under, and the other leading contenders were yet to begin their days as thunderstorms and torrential rain delayed their third round.
Rose was just one shot off the lead in the final Major of the year following a second round, three under par 67 that moved him to level par for the tournament alongside Americans Ben Curtis and Charlie Wi.
Holmes, the halfway leader, will be among those faced with the daunting task of 36 holes on Sunday. “It's going to be like college again, playing 36 in one day,” he said. “It happens, and everybody else is going to do it, too, so just have to go out there and deal with it.
“It may be exhausting to play 36 holes, you're putting that much mental effort and everything into it, it's rough.”
