Just before a thunderstorm hit Oakland Hills and suspended play on Saturday, Andres Romero provided a little thunder of his own. The 27-year-old native of Argentina tied a competitive course record with a 5-under 65, the best score at the 90th US PGA Championship all week, to prove that the course known as “The Monster” could be shaken for a low score. “I played an excellent round,” Romero said through an interpreter. “It was almost perfect.” Play was suspended shortly before leader J.B. Holmes and the rest of the top scorers were to tee off. Heavy rain, thunder and lightning rocked the course as the players and gallery scattered to find cover. Romero, in the 12th pairing off the tee, had already put up his score and then hurried out of the weather. Starting the day at 7 over - eight shots behind Holmes, seven back of Ben Curtis, Justin Rose and Charlie Wi - Romero posted seven birdies and two bogeys. He was even on the day through five holes but closed the front side with birdies on three of the last four holes. After a bogey on the par-4 14th, he birdied the next two holes and then finished with two pars. Romero climbed from a tie for 48th into a tie for eighth in the span of four hours. Others also made a move. Steve Flesch was 2-under through five holes to get to 1 over for the tournament. Camilo Villegas also had a hot hand, going 4-under through 14 holes to get to 2-over. He was tied there with Boo Weekley who was 1 under through four holes. The leaders were scheduled to tee off in mid-afternoon. Each day, the leaders had taken advantage of playing in the morning on the long and difficult Donald Ross layout. Holmes had a 2-under 68 Friday morning when Curtis and Rose posted tournament-low 67s. The first-round co-leaders, Robert Karlsson and Jeev Milkha Singh, both had their 68s after starting their rounds in the morning. “If they don't water the greens during the day - as I think they did on Thursday - the greens were pretty hard and firm and fast at 9 o'clock so they're going to be really firm and fast by 2:30 or 4 o'clock,” said Peter Lonard, who recorded his third consecutive 74 playing in the first twosome of the day. Others near the top of the leaderboard who had yet to tee off in the third round were David Toms (141), Sergio Garcia (142) and Phil Mickelson (143). Leong wins in Malaysia Malaysia's Ben Leong held off Thai star Thongchai Jaidee to win the Worldwide Selangor Masters by one shot for his maiden Asian Tour title on Saturday. The 22-year-old rising star held his nerve to shoot a final round of two-under-par 69 at Seri Selangor Golf Club and achieved a hat trick of victories following his two triumphs in Malaysia over the past fortnight. Two-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai, who trailed Leong by one shot after the completion of the third round early Saturday, fought doggedly with three birdies in the middle of the back nine but failed to find the crucial birdie at the last hole needed to tie the young Malaysian as he settled for a 69. Iain Steel of Malaysia finished a distant third after a 73 while Danny Chia, also from Malaysia, Mars Pucay of the Philippines, India's Gaurav Ghei and Australian Neven Basic shared fourth place.
