Mickelson - one shot lead. (Getty Images)

Phil Mickelson led the USPGA Championship by a shot with five holes to play when thunder and lightning ended play for the day.

"I was getting ready to putt when a lightning bolt struck pretty close by - and we got off pretty fast," said Mickelson.

"I love this championship, okay, but I want to live!"

The world number four was not critical of officials for not suspending the action until 6.40pm, however.

"I put the trust in the meteorologists and the organisation to get us off the course if there's a threat of weather," he added.

But he revealed he had asked for tee-off times to be brought forward knowing the forecast of storms.

"I had certainly asked to maybe go an hour earlier to try to get it in," said Mickelson, who was due to tee off with joint overnight leader Davis Love at 3pm. That became 3.40pm because of a stoppage.

"I thought that last night was a bit of a struggle in the last three or four holes seeing in the light.

"When we had a delay before we teed off I knew that there was no chance of us finishing."

Mickelson had Dane Thomas Bjorn and Australian Steve Elkington right on his heels, with Tiger Woods in the clubhouse two behind on two under par with Love and Vijay Singh, who had five and three holes to play.

Bjorn, trying to become the first European winner of a major since Paul Lawrie at the 1999 Open, had four to complete.

Out of the running, but still with their final putts to take, were England's Lee Westwood and Greg Owen. They had an appalling day, Westwood crashing from three under to three over and Owen from the same mark to seven over.

He was in danger of finishing with a 10-over-par 80.