MIAMI (AFP) – India’s Anirban Lahiri birdied three of his last four holes to seize a one-stroke lead before darkness halted yesterday’s third round of the storm-hit Players Championship.
Lahiri made six birdies against a lone bogey to reach five-under through 11 holes at TPC Sawgrass and stand on nine-under overall, one stroke ahead of Americans Tom Hoge and Harold Varner entering a Monday shootout at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
“I’m just being in the moment right now. I’m really happy. I’m confident,” Lahiri said. “You grind away, keep chipping away, keep working on your game, and when it clicks, it clicks.”
Two days of torrential rain followed by fierce winds on Saturday delayed play so some golfers must go 27 holes to finish the tournament. Lahiri, 34, seeks his biggest career title after European Tour victories in 2015 at the Malaysian and Indian Opens.
“It definitely would be a career highlight,” Lahiri said. “This is the next thing to winning a major.”
World number 322 Lahiri seeks his first US PGA title and the first by any India player since Arjun Atwal’s 2010 triumph at Greensboro.
“With every shot live, it makes a big difference because people get to watch me play. It’s not every week you play well,” Lahiri said.
