By Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent, Minnesota

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South African Retief Goosen and Ryder Cup Swede Pierre Fulke came up with sparkling finishes to prevent an American takeover of the United States PGA championship in Minnesota on Friday.

As Justin Rose, joint third overnight, fell back from three under to one under, Padraig Harrington and Nick Faldo also lost ground, Lee Westwood and Phillip Price collapsed to rounds of 83, Colin Montgomerie missed the halfway cut too and Darren Clarke bogeyed the last two holes to face the probability of an early exit as well, Goosen and Fulke muscled in on a leaderboard dominated by Stars and Stripes.

The 33-year-old Goosen chipped in at the last hole for a second successive 69 and shared the clubhouse lead at six under par with former Open champions Justin Leonard and Mark Calcavecchia and also Rich Beem.

Then Fulke, displaying form which can only boost his confidence for his Ryder Cup debut in a month's time, made a closing 60-foot putt for a 68 and four-under aggregate.

Fred Funk was the home player leading the way out on the course, seven under with five to play as another storm halted play for the day at 6.21pm.

Tiger Woods was also among the 41 affected - but the world number one had made his presence felt with a front nine 33 and was joint seventh at three under when the suspension came.

Rose had to wait until mid-afternoon to resume and by then the wind had returned to make the Hazeltine National course on which Tony Jacklin won the 1970 US Open a real examination.

Woods' class shone through as he birdied the fourth, fifth and seventh, but Rose, although he birdied the two par fives on the back nine, also bogeyed the 12th and 13th, then dropped another on the 16th and two more at the short next, going in hazards both times.

The 22-year-old fell from three under to level par, but just before the premature end to the day's action he birdied the third to climb back into a share for 21st spot.

Harrington's 73 left him one further back as he continued to be handicapped by an ankle injury, while Faldo's 76 sent him tumbling down from one under to three over, just inside the likely cut-off mark.

Westwood, without a win for 22 months and down from number four in the world to 139th a month before the Ryder Cup, had easily his worst round of the year to depart on the 14-over-par total of 158.

The 29-year-old from Worksop first had to complete his first round, being among 39 players unable to finish off because of Thursday's thunderstorms.

He hit a three-wood into water on the 402-yard 16th for a double bogey, handed in a 75 and then returned 30 minutes later for what would be a horror story.

This time he took seven at the 16th - and that after double bogeys at the 12th and 14th - and after an eagle at the 542-yard seventh he double-bogeyed again on the short eighth and bowed out with yet another bogey.

Price did even worse, his 83 being added to a 76 for a 15-over aggregate. His confidence ahead of his Ryder Cup debut badly needs repairing as well now.

Calcavecchia, who returns to cup action for the Americans 11 years on from his traumatic experience against Montgomerie at Kiawah Island, threatened to take the event by the scruff of the neck when he went to the turn in 31 playing with Harrington.

That was during the morning calm, but the 1989 Open champion opened the door by coming home in 37 and first Leonard, then Beem and then Goosen accepted the invitation.

Montgomerie resumed on two over, but could do no better than 39 for the outward half and when he ran up a six at the 597-yard 11th the Scot was six over.

Further bogeys came on the 15th and 17th, leaving Montgomerie with one birdie all week and an eight-over total.

"It's just been frustrating. I'm just not holing putts," he sighed. "One birdie in two days speaks for itself. There's nothing to report really.

"At least I'm finished." He knew that many of the players were likely to be interrupted again by the approaching rain.

No European has won the trophy since Tommy Armour way back in 1930, but aside from Fulke Germany's Bernhard Langer and Dane Soren Hansen were both in on two under.

Paul Lawrie looked likely to miss out by one along with Clarke on five over and Paul McGinley was six over with four to play, the same mark Ian Woosnam finished on.

Paul Casey was another European to crash out, matching Price's 15 over, but Mansfield's Greg Owen was four over with four left to play on Saturday morning.

Woods was playing again with Open champion Ernie Els, who had the bonus of holing a bunker shot on the second and who finished the day two under and still in the hunt.

Most eyes, though, were inevitably on Woods as he continued his quest to become the first player ever to win three majors in a season twice.

Not a bad second prize once the ultimate Grand Slam dream disappeared with his third round 81 at Muirfield last month.