India's Anirban Lahiri leads at Sawgrass as he chases first PGA Tour win

India’s Anirban Lahiri, the world No 322, holds a one-shot lead in the uncompleted third round of The Players Championship at Sawgrass.

Bidding to become just the second Indian player after Arjun Atwal to taste victory on the PGA Tour, the 34-year-old sits on nine-under-par with eight holes to play in the penultimate circuit at TPC Sawgrass.

American duo Tom Hoge and Harold Varner III are both breathing down his neck, with England’s Paul Casey and Italy’s Francesco Molinari also in the hunt on seven and six-under respectively.

But Lahiri is the man out in front when the action resumes at noon UK time on Monday as he bids to join Craig Perks (2002) and Tim Clark (2010) in making the breakthrough in style by winning this event.

Anirban Lahiri in action during the The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Picture: Patrick Smith/Getty Images.

“It will definitely be a career highlight. That goes without saying,” said Lahiri of what it would mean to triumph in the game’s so-called fifth major.

“This is the next thing to winning a major I would say. Who doesn't want to win The Players Championship?”

Lahiri, who has two DP World Tour titles to his name, as well as seven Asian Tour triumphs, added of his chance: “I think it just shows the diversity of the players that play on this tour.

“I've been here for seven years now, so this is home for me. Today I played in an all-international pairing with Joaquin Niemann and Cam Smith who have won a lot and played very well, and I'd love to join that club.

Russell Knox acknowledges the crowd at TPC Sawgrass. Picture: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

“That's what we all work towards, and I'm just going to go out there and try and enjoy myself. I’m just going to try and do the same thing: Fire at pins that I'm comfortable with.”

Ireland’s Shane Lowry made a hole-in-one at the 17th - his eighth - to sit on five-under, one ahead of Scot Russell Knox.

“Special things happen sometimes,” said Lowry, the 2019 Open champion of his ace. “It's pretty cool to do it there, one of the most iconic holes in golf.

“Played the 17 hole twice and did it in three shots, so it doesn't owe me anything.”

Knox, who once came to grief there when running up a 9, is two-under through 14 holes in his third round and sitting in a tie for 18th.

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