VERONA, New York -- Gabriel Hjertstedt, bidding to become the third two-time winner of the B.C. Open, overcame two rain delays to shoot a 4-under 68 on Saturday and take a one-shot lead after three rounds.

Hjertstedt, who became the first Swede to win on the PGA TOUR when he captured the 1997 B.C. Open, was at 14-under 202. Joey Sindelar (1985, 1987) and Brad Faxon (1999, 2000) are the other two-time winners of the event, which is being dropped from the PGA TOUR after this year.

First-round leader Mark Brooks (66), who shot even par on Friday, made a nice turnaround and was tied for second with David Branshaw (68), of nearby Oswego, and Scott Gump (69).

Daisuke Maruyama (71), Larry Mize (67), Matt Gogel (67), and John Rollins (68) were another shot back.

A steady rain and the threat of a thunderstorm forced a 98-minute stoppage of play in the morning. By the time the final threesome of Hjertstedt, Murayama, and Gump teed off, the wind had picked up and there was standing water on several fairways at Turning Stone Resort's 2-year-old Atunyote Golf Club course.

Gump and Maruyama were tied with Hjertstedt at 10 under to start the round. But with the wind blowing more steadily and pelting their faces with rain, they fell two shots back on the first hole when they made bogey and Hjertstedt had a birdie.

Play was halted again just before noon for another two hours, and Maruyama, a 35-year-old TOUR rookie from Japan, continued his early slide when play resumed. Although tournament officials allowed players to lift, clean and place in the fairway, Maruyama bogeyed the third hole and fell four strokes off the lead when Hjertstedt birdied No. 4.

Hjertstedt added birdies at Nos. 7 and 8 and made a nice par save at 9 to make the turn at 14 under, two shots ahead of Gogel. Maruyama, who rallied with three birdies on the front nine, and seven others were within three shots of the top.

Hjertstedt missed a short birdie putt at No. 10 and parred the tough 11th hole, a 230-yard par-3 guarded on the right by a stream and a greenside bunker.

Gabriel Hjertstedt made six birdies in the third round. (Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

Hjertstedt then made a 4-foot putt at No. 12 for birdie and sank another birdie putt at 14. But just when it seemed he would assume a commanding lead, he faltered twice.

After reaching the first 15 greens in regulation, Hjertstedt's tee shot at the par-3 16th skipped over the green and he made bogey. He found more trouble at the par-4 17th when his second shot found a greenside bunker and he two-putted from 25 feet for another bogey before parring the final hole.

It was a memorable day for Madalisto Muthiya, who was given the Commissioner's foreign exemption into the B.C. Open. Less than 24 hours after the 23-year-old native of Zambia made his first cut on the PGA TOUR in only his second start, he made four straight birdies on the back nine to move to 8 under, and that's where he finished after his second straight 68.

"It feels good," said the soft-spoken Muthiya, who failed to make the cut at the U.S. Open. "In my second PGA event, it's exciting, I guess, to play well and be able to compete."

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