Pádraig Harrington is on the brink of ending his eight-year wait to qualify for the US Open after his 36-hole Final Qualifying event was delayed by weather in Ohio.

Play was suspended due to darkness at Lakes Golf and Country Club in Columbus with the three-time Major winner tied 16th on five-under with three holes to play, leaving him just inside the mark in the race for 16 spots at Torrey Pines next week.

Harrington (49) opened with a one-under 71 at Brookside Golf and Country Club following a three-hour and 15 minute weather delay for heavy rain in the morning.

But he was five under playing the par-five 16th in the afternoon and may need at least one more birdie when play resumes at 8am local time (1pm Irish time) to keep his hopes of a first US Open appearance since 2013 alive.

Chez Reavie led by a shot in the clubhouse on 12-under from Erik van Rooyen (13 holes) after rounds of 65 and 67 with Wyndham Clark, JT Poston, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Dylan Frittelli also looking likely to qualify.

At Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta, West Waterford’s Seamus Power opened with a level par 72 but withdrew when he was five under and at least three shots outside the five qualifying places with two holes to go.

Derry’s Ruaidhri McGee also withdrew after opening with an eight-over 80 at The Bear's Club in Florida where Patrick Rodgers, amateur Andrew Kozan, Fabian Gomez, Luis Gagne, Thomas Aiken and Branden Grace qualified on two-under or better.

Meanwhile, Lahinch’s Aideen Walsh and Hermitage’s Rowan Lester lead the ISPS Handa Ulster Men’s and Women’s Stroke Play heading into today’s final round at Royal County Down.

The Championship, which is the first competitive event run by Golf Ireland since the new governing body came into existence in January, marks the return to competition for Ireland’s elite amateurs.

Walsh shot rounds of 77 and 79 for a one-stroke lead over Ballinrobe’s Shannon Burke and a two-shot advantage over County Louth’s Deirdre Smith on four-over par.

In the men’s event, former North of Ireland champion Lester carded rounds of 70 and 72 to lead by four shots on level par from Galgorm Castle’s Joshua Hill and Laytown and Bettystown’s Alex Maguire.

The field of 81 amateurs is now cut to 54 for the final round, following which the top two male players and top female player earn a spot in the ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle and Massereene later this summer.