Just as another helping of tropical rain fell on the Saujana Golf and Country Club, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee moved into the outright lead on nine under par.

The hooter then sounded for the suspension of play as the thunder and lightning rolled ever closer.

At that point, McGinley was sitting on seven under par, one behind Jaidee’s fellow Thai Thaworn Wiratchant, Prayad Marksaeng and Chawalit Plaphol, Sung-man Lee of South Korea and American Greg Hanrahan in a five-way tie for second place.

McGinley had moved ahead after opening his third round with two birdies in three holes, but after being caught by the likes of Lee and Wiratchant he then bogeyed the par-four sixth.

When the rains came, McGinley was sitting alongside England’s Andrew Marshall on seven under par.

Colin Montgomerie remained very much in touch with the leading pack on five under par after carding a bogey, a birdie and six pars in the opening eight holes of his third round.

He was level in a nine-strong group with England’s Richard McEvoy, David Dixon and James Hepworth plus Finland’s Mikko Ilonen, who had been the halfway leader.

After the storms curtailed play yesterday, the 2000 Amateur champion completed the final four holes of his second round this morning and recorded another 68 for eight under par.

But he endured a nightmare start to his third round, dropping five shots in six holes and out of immediate contention. His only consolation had been a birdie four on the seventh.

The cut was two over par and notable names to miss out included Zhang Lian-Wei, Jarmo Sandelin and 1999 Malaysian Open champion Gerry Norquist.

The Cobra, as the championship course is known, has proved testing and the leaderboard remains bunched up.

Fifty-two players headed into the final two rounds between eight under and even par and that helped Montgomerie remain firmly in the hunt after his collapse at the end of the first round.

A change in fortune and some new cooling gear – an ice-visor and other assortments – flown in from Australia paid dividends yesterday as he worked his back onto four under par after the 13th, just the point at which it had all gone wrong in the fog of dehydration and a heat migraine.

After sinking a six-foot putt for eagle on the 13th under “hellish drops of water“, play was suspended.

The Scotsman was upbeat and “very confident” heading into today and he made the most of it, closing with two birdies and set himself up nicely.