As darkness enveloped Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday evening, David Duval was given the choice to take his third shot on No. 15 before play was suspended for the day.

He didn't need any help deciding.

``It was a pretty easy choice, really,'' said Duval, who braved 52-degree temperatures and wind gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour at the Masters. ``I was not going to play any longer than I was required to.''

The 28-year-old Duval, who began the day atop the leaderboard at 6-under par, left the truncated third round behind Vijay Singh (7-under) and will resume play today at 4-under.

Duval and Singh are one of the four pairings whose rounds will be completed today starting at 8:15 a.m.

``I'm hoping I might get three holes of golf without much wind,'' said Duval, a former

Duval, the world's No. 2-ranked player, who has been winless for more than a year, streaked to a bogey-free round Friday but wasn't nearly as successful in the face of the wretched elements Saturday.

Singh moved atop the leaderboard when Duval bogeyed the par-4, 350-yard third, and the two went the next four holes deadlocked until Singh birdied No. 8 and made the turn a stroke ahead at 6-under.

After Singh bogeyed No. 11 to even things up, Duval suffered a meltdown on the par-3, 155-yard 12th when the wind pitched his tee shot into Rae's Creek, leaving him with a double bogey.

``I really wish that I hadn't had what happened on the 12th hole happen, obviously,'' said Duval, who shot a 73 in the opening round and passed 24 players with his 65 Friday. ``With the exception of the bad break on 12, I would be even par for the day.''

He followed that with a birdie on No. 13, but his tee shot on No. 14 sailed into a difficult lie in pine straw at the base of an Augusta pine.

His next shot reached the green but was short and rolled off the front.

He chipped to within a foot and saved par.

``Under the circumstances, I feel like I've played exceptionally well,'' Duval said.