American Tom Pernice Jr. fired a flawless 10-under 62 to grab a share of the second round lead before rain halted play at the Funai Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando on Friday.
But world number one Tiger Woods was in danger of missing the cut.
Pernice, still seeking his first top 10 finish of the season, began his round at the Palm Golf Club with three pars but then birdied 10 of the next 15 holes, including three straight to finish, leaving him on 15-under 129.
Sweden's Carl Pettersson was also at 15-under with three to play when dangerous weather and rain swept across Orlando late in the day forcing an end to play.
After an hour's delay, officials suspended play and said the second round would be completed on Saturday morning followed immediately by the third round.
Florida, however, is bracing for more severe weather with Hurricane Wilma, which has already forced the rescheduling or postponement of several sporting events in the state, steaming towards the coast.
Woods, the winner of six events this season and within sight of Vijay Singh's single season earnings record, was at even par for his round after 16, needing birdies on his final two holes when the horn sounded suspending play.
With the projected cut at six-under, the British Open and U.S. Masters champion sits at four-under for the tournament and in danger of failing to reach the weekend for just the fourth time in his career and second this season.
CRASHING END
Woods' record string of 142 consecutive cuts made came
The only other times he has missed the cut were at the 1998 Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the 1997 Canadian Open.
Playing at the Magnolia Golf Club, the tougher of the two courses used for the $4.4 million event, Woods began smartly with two birdies on his first three holes but was undone by a triple bogey seven at the par-five fifth.
Woods, a two-time winner of the event, clawed his way back out of the danger zone with three consecutive birdies from the ninth but dropped back again with a double bogey at the par-three 12th and a bogey at 14.
Singh also appears headed for an early exit after the world number two returned a one-under 71 at the Palm Golf Club for a two round total of four-under 140.
The Fijian, a winner at Disney World in 2003 and runnerup last year, was also hit by a triple-bogey seven, the wobble on the par-four six the only blemish on a round that also included four birdies.
Lurking one shot behind Pernice and Pettersson at 14-under 130 is Australia's Geoff Ogilvy, who had looked poised to top the leaderboard until he bogeyed his only hole of the day at his last to slip to six-under 66 at Magnolia.
American Brandt Jobe matched Pernice for the best round of the day so far with a 62 to sit fourth at 13-under 131 alongside Kent Jones, who was seven-under with two to play.
World number four Retief Goosen shot into contention with a tidy seven-under 65 at the Palm that included six birdies and eagle offset by a single bogey to leave the South African seven off the pace at eight-under 136.