Shortly after Rory McIlroy had taken the lead at 12 under, play was suspended Sunday at The Players Championship because of lightning in the area.

After trailing third-round leader J.J. Spaun by two strokes, McIlroy moved into the lead by going 4 under par through his first 11 holes. He jumped from a tie for fifth place into the lead on the back of three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 second hole. He had a bogey on the par-4 seventh hole.

Spaun was one shot behind McIlroy after he was 1 over through 10 holes.

Play was suspended at 1:15 p.m. ET. Heavy rain, then lightning arrived as forecast and is set to continue through 5 p.m. before tapering off slightly by 7 p.m. Sunset in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, is 7:34 p.m. on Sunday.

The PGA Tour had attempted to get ahead of the forecast, moving up starting times, playing in threesomes and having the bottom portion of the leaderboard start on the 10th hole.

If the completion of the final round is delayed until Monday, the forecast calls for clear skies but with winds of up to 25 mph in the afternoon.

McIlroy won the 2019 Players Championship and has finished in the top 10 four times in the tournament.

Bud Cauley, who was alone in second place overnight, was at 2 over through 10 holes and was at 9 under for the tournament.

Field Level Media contributed to this report.