Storm forces Tiger into Monday finish at Bay Hill

ORLANDO, Florida (AFP) –

Tiger Woods of the United States plays his second shot at the par 4, 1st hole during the final round of the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard at Bay Hill Golf and Country Club on March 24, 2013 in Orlando, Florida.

Tiger Woods’ pursuit of an eighth victory at Bay Hill and the world No. 1 ranking will have to wait until Monday after a thunder storm led to the suspension of Sunday’s final round.

Spectators were evacuated from the Bay Hill course as rain driven by high winds and lightning swept into the area, where a tornado warning was issued.

Woods had just stretched his lead to three shots with a birdie on the par-three second hole.

The driving rain led to some washed-out bunkers and standing water on the course, with the repairs needed eventually prompting officials to call off play for the day.

The round was to resume on Monday morning.

If Woods can capture his eighth Arnold Palmer Invitational title he’ll supplant Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy atop the world rankings.

The 14-time major champion has spent a record 623 weeks on top of the world.

But he has not paced the rankings since October of 2010 after injuries and an infamous sex scandal saw him tumble from the top 50.