The Players Championship 2022 golf: India’s Anirban Lahiri leads with 25 holes to go

Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri seized a one-shot lead at The Players Championship 2022 before the third round at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, USA was suspended due to darkness on Sunday. The PGA Tour’s flagship golf tournament will conclude on Monday.

Anirban Lahiri, on 9-under through 11 holes of his third round, holds a slender lead over American duo Harald Varner III and Tom Hoge. The Indian still has 25 holes to play.

Chasing a maiden victory in the tournament, the 34-year-old Anirban Lahiri, a two-time Olympian, will resume his round on Monday morning in Florida, with the final round scheduled soon after.

Anirban Lahiri will be aiming to become only the second Indian golfer after Arjun Atwal (2010 Wyndham Championship) to win on the PGA Tour and the third Asian golfer after Korea’s K.J. Choi (2011) and Si Woo Kim (2017) to win The Players.

“Yeah, who doesn't want to win The Players Championship?” Lahiri told the media after he produced six birdies against a lone bogey in 11 holes of his third round before the siren blew to mark the suspension of play.

“You just don't know. You grind away, you keep chipping away, you keep working on your game, and when it clicks, it clicks. It could be this week, it could be next week. As long as it happens, and that's the belief you've got to have, and that's the commitment you've got to have.

“I'm just happy that I'm playing well. I'm just happy that I'm hitting my irons well. When you are in that state of mind, you usually play well, and that's what's happening,” Lahiri said.

Lahiri holds multiple wins in Asia, including two DP World Tour titles which he achieved in 2015. A two-time International Team player at the Presidents Cup, the Indian has played full time on the PGA Tour since 2016 where he has a career-best finish of tied second at the 2017 Memorial Tournament and 12 other top-10s through 153 starts on Tour.

He has struggled with his form recently, with his last top-10 being the Barbasol Championship in July while this season, he has missed seven cuts from 12 starts. In five appearances at The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, he has four missed cuts and has a T74 finish in 2019.

However, he is upbeat about the prospects ahead of Monday.

“It's been great. Obviously nice to catch the good side of the draw to start. I think, to be honest, going to bed last night I was a bit scared how cold it was going to be on Sunday,” Lahiri said.

“I'm not used to playing temperatures sub-40F, and I did struggle a little bit when I came out (to resume his second round), but it was nice to just get back into a good process and a good rhythm. Made a lot of good swings today, just kept it in front of me,” Lahiri added.

The slightest of change made to his equipment earlier this week where he added 3.5 grams of weight to his irons have made a huge difference.

“I'm just being in the moment right now. I'm really happy -- like I just mentioned, I'm happy, I'm confident,” Lahiri pointed out. “The ball seems to be coming out in front of me, which hasn't happened that much in the past. You know, I'm just going to try and do the same thing. Fire at pins that I'm comfortable with and clubs that I'm comfortable with.

“When I get an uncomfortable shot then just respect it and try and make a putt. I think that's all I can do,” Lahiri added.

Asked what a victory at the PGA Tour’s richest and biggest tournament would mean to him and India, Lahiri said, “Obviously it definitely be a career highlight. That goes without saying. This is the next thing to winning a major I would say.”