Arjun Atwal and Shiv Kapur were tied ninth to keep the Indian challenge going even in the face of some terrible weather with thunder and lightning which forced an early stop on the third day of the Indonesia Open in Jakarta, on Saturday.

Both Indians were tied ninth, after 10 and 11 holes respectively. Atwal was two-under for his 10 holes and Kapur was also two-under for his 11 holes of the third round.

They were behind leader Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant who was hanging on to a one-stroke lead in the when the third round was suspended due to darkness.

Sharing the second place behind the Thai were four golfers, Thongchai Jaidee (14-under after 11 holes), Frankie Minoza (14-under after 14 holes), Nicolas Colsaerts (14-under after nine holes) and Mardan Mamat (14-under after nine holes).

Other Indians who made the cut included Gaurav Ghei, who was nine-under in tied 20th place after playing 12 holes in the third round. He was three-under for his 12 holes in third round.

Harmeet Kahlon was three-under in nine in third round for a total of six-under and tied 41st. Amandeep Johl was two-under after nine and his total was five-under for tied 53rd place. Rahil Gangjee missed the cut.

Wiratchant was atop the leaderboard with a 15-under-par total through nine holes at Cengkareng Golf Club when officials called it a day at 6pm local time.

Weather disruptions since Thursday will mean the leaders will endure a 27-hole marathon tomorrow to complete four rounds.

Atwal began with a bogey, but then thundered with three straight birdies from third to fifth holes, before a bogey on six set him back. But he came back with a birdie on ninth to keep himself in the running.

Kapur too started with a bogey but then birdies on second, seventh and ninth kept him in the hunt at two-under for third round and 11-under for tournament.

None of the other three Indian players had bogeyed in their round so far. Gaurav Ghei birdied three -- in the fifth, ninth and 11th round -- to be nine-under for the tournament. He has six more holes to go in the third round.

Harmeet Kahlon had an eagle two on the 11th as he began from tenth, and added one more birdie on 15th to be three-under after nine and six-under for the tournament. Amandeep Johl birdied 10th and 11 and parred seven straight holes to be two-under for nine and five-under for the week so far.

Scotsman Colin Montgomerie was six-under for the tournament through 14 holes. He needs to pull off a miraculous win on Sunday to qualify for the US Masters, the year's first Major, next month.

Thaworn was lucky to still be leading. A wayward drive on the ninth found thick bushes and he was about to declare it as a lost ball before the gallery found it, much to his delight.

"I was lucky. I think there was 30 seconds left on the clock to look for the  ball and I'd given up," said Thaworn, the halfway leader.