To have to play on in gathering gloom when your eyesight is less than 100 per cent, was not SA PGA Championship leader Tony Johnstone's ideal scenario yesterday in Johannesburg.

Today, as he returns to the Houghton course to resume the fractured final round, he faces another worrying scenario.

After being seven shots in front of the field with 23 holes to go and starting five strokes ahead for the final round, over four hours late because of yet another thunderstorm, Johnstone now has the formidable Ernie Els within three shots of him when they return to play the closing 10 holes today.

After finishing in near darkness, Johnstone stayed level for the eight holes they had played, while Els picked up strokes on the seventh and eighth. That leaves Johnstone 17 under par and Els 14 under, with American surprise package Scott Dunlap still hovering on 13 under and others still able to pounce, too.

While the veteran Zimbabwean feels he still has the game - and the eyesight in good light this morning now - to hold off the US Open champion, the tournament is wide open in truth.

But the two Irishmen left in the field will play no further part. Raymond Burns had his day on Saturday when he joyfully made his first cut in 10 attempts, including his misery of seven missed cuts from summer to autumn last year in his run in to end the season.

Burns had the bonus of playing with Greg Norman on Saturday after easily making the cut on two under par with a splendid 68.

It was definitely not his day yesterday as he had a horror finish in the gloom for a 77 to crash to four over par for the tournament and with the prospect of only reserve money today, perhaps under the $1,000 mark.

The final round all started to go wrong with the swing he has bettered by changing club-shafts, at the fifth where Jarmo Sandel in the previous day ran up a 12. Here Burns narrowly missed the green but found the heavy `kikuyu' grass fold and to his consternation saw his ball hook straight left to cause him a double-bogey.

Slumping four over by the turn for the day, he bravely fought back by eagling the 14th but then, as the siren called off play, he opted to carry on, having already started the 18th, his prerogative.

With total chaos as spectators filed in and in near darkness, Burns missed the green and took four more to get down for a seven.

"I fought for my finish," said the Banbridge man, "but then everything went against me on the last and put me back in reserve money. I had to finish because it had been a long day and a long week and I didn't want to come back and play just two or three shots.

"But I'm happy with my game again, proved I can play golf and told those who wondered, that I can. It's never been a problem to me. Everyone goes through a bad spell and I've never lost faith in my own ability. I'm looking forward to the next tournament, in Dubai, now."

Eamonn Darcy's season may be suspended while he stays at home to keep an eye on his sick father. It was not surprising then that the Druids Glen pro plummeted to an 80 yesterday, dropping him to second last of the qualifiers on 11 over.

Leader Johnstone was lucky to be three ahead of Els after problems at the short third yesterday afternoon in the final round, having had problems at the short 17th in the morning when he finished off his third round.

His ball was headed for the lake but luckily caught a tree branch and stayed dry, enabling him to drop only one shot when it could have been all three. He goes into today ahead of Els who failed to capitalise on his playing-partner's indifferent start with a slow one himself.

Johnstone, who suffers perennial eyesight problems and was aggrieved that play carried on two more holes than it should, intends making the clear Johannesburg daylight pay this morning.