MEMPHIS, June 8, 2014 (AFP) - Crane had made it into the clubhouse with a second-round 65 and a 36-hole total of 12-under par 128 on Friday.
But a second straight day of stormy weather at TPC Southwind meant he had to wait to see exactly where he stood when the full field had finished.
South Africa's Retief Goosen carded a second-round 66 and Colombian Camilo Villegas shot a 64 to share second on 132.
Americans Peter Malnati (68) and Troy Merritt (66) were on 133 with Sweden's Carl Pettersson and American Brian Harman a further stroke adrift on 134.
Due to the anticipation of inclement weather, preferred lies were utilized in round two.
Crane, making his 300th career PGA Tour start, is seeking his first victory since The McGladrey Classic in 2011.
His best finish this season is a tie for ninth at the Humana Challenge in January.
Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson, trying to find some consistency ahead of next week's US Open at Pinehurst, fired a second-round 68 to stay in the hunt with a 36-hole total of 135.
Mickelson is still in search of his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour this season.
He was erratic off the tee, finding only six of 14 fairways in the second round, but displayed a solid short game.
Third-round play got underway on Saturday afternoon, with officials saying they hoped to get in several more hours of play before darkness fell.
Unsettled weather in the region meant that more delays were still a possibility, but groups were to go off both the first and 10th tees with the goal of completing 72 holes by nightfall on Sunday.
That's especially important for those who will be eager to get to Pinehurst and begin practicing for the second major championship of the year, which starts on Thursday.
Leading scores on Saturday after completion of the storm-interrupted second round of the US PGA St. Jude Classic (par 70, USA unless noted):
128 - Ben Crane 63-65
132 - Retief Goosen (RSA) 66-66, Camilo Villegas (COL) 68-64
133 - Peter Malnati 65-68, Troy Merritt 67-66
134 - Carl Pettersson (SWE) 67-67, Brian Harman 69-65
135 - Davis Love 65-70, Billy Horschel 67-68, Jason Bohn 67-68, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 68-67, Phil Mickelson 67-68, Dustin Johnson 68-67, Ted Potter 68-67, Andrew Svoboda 69-66
136 - J.J. Henry 66-70, Chesson Hadley 67-69, Tim Wilkinson (NZL) 68-68, Ben Martin 69-67, Stewart Cink 70-66