Séamus Power dropped four shots in three holes and fell six shots off the lead after a costly 30-minute spell as the wind-lashed AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am headed for a Monday finish.
The West Waterford man went into the second round just two shots behind leader Kurt Kitayama after a sensational second-round 64 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
But after picking up birdies at the 17th, 18th and second at Pebble Beach Golf Links to get within a shot off the lead on 10-under, the Tooraneena man bogeyed the third, three-putted for a double-bogey six from four-and-a-half feet at the fourth and then bogeyed the par-three fifth.
He suddenly found himself tied 18th on six-under, six shots behind new leader Peter Malnati when play was suspended due to recorded wind gusts of 32 mph.
Malnati picked up six shots in his first 12 holes at Pebble Beach to lead by two strokes from Joseph Bramlett and Keith Mitchell on 12-under.
The third round is scheduled to resume at 8 am local time today (4 pm Irish time), with the final round set for 12:30 pm (8:30 pm Irish time) with the finish set for Monday.
Officials changed the cut rule from the top 60 and ties to the top 65 and ties, while the pro-am portion of the event has been shortened to 54 holes.
It’s not too late for Power to turn things around but if he rued missing his second putt from 18 inches at Pebble Beach’s fourth, Pádraig Harrington was left to regret four late bogeys in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club in the Middle East.
The veteran stormed to the turn in five-under 31, then birdied the 10th to get within a shot of the early leader.
But he bogeyed the 11th, 12th, 15th and 18th for a 70 that left him tied 23rd and nine shots behind South African Zander Lombard on seven-under heading into today's final round.
Lombard shot a nine-under 63 to lead by one stroke from Rasmus Hojgaard, who shot 68, on 16-under.
Tom McKibbin was the best of the Irish, eight shots off the lead in tied 18th, after making an eagle and six birdies in a five-under 67.
On the Challenge Tour, Portmarnock's Conor Purcell gave himself a chance of victory heading into the final round of the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open.
The Dubliner (25) shot a seven-under 67 at Royal Cape to go into the final round tied sixth on 10-under and just three shots behind South Africa’s Darren Fichardt and Zimbabwe Benjamin Follett-Smith.
"It was a very, very solid day," said Purcell, who is chasing his maiden Challenge Tour win. "I kept bogeys off the card, which was nice, made the most of all the chances that I had and my lag putting has been good as well.
"It's quite a playable golf course from the fairway, but the minute you hit it in the rough, it becomes a much different beast. So I am just keeping it in play and not trying to overpower the place.
"I don't think it's a crazy long course by any stretch, and all the par fives are quite gettable. So I've managed to capitalise on all the par fives so far, and we're trying to do it again tomorrow.”
