Anirban Lahiri leads by one at THE PLAYERS Championship
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Written by The Associated Press
Anirban Lahiri reaches in two to set up birdie at THE PLAYERS
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The longest week at THE PLAYERS Championship moved closer to a conclusion Sunday without much clarity amid ever-changing names in the chase.
Anirban Lahiri of India finished off more than 12 hours of action at TPC Sawgrass with a two-putt birdie from 30 feet on the par-5 11th hole to reach 9-under par.
Moments earlier, Harold Varner III hooded a wedge with so much side spin that it raced left across the ninth green and settled inches away for a tap-in birdie. Three short blasts of the horn sounded, not in celebration of Varner's shot but to signal the end of the day due to darkness.
Tom Hoge finished out the ninth hole by making a 25-foot birdie putt that pulled the Pebble Beach winner within one shot of Lahiri.
Right behind was Sam Burns, whose heroics toward the end of the second round Sunday — a 75-foot eagle putt on the 16th and an 18-foot par putt on the last hole — gave him a 3-under 69 and a share of the 36-hole lead with Hoge.
One more day, and still a long way to go.
Hoge opened with a 66 on Thursday with Lahiri one shot behind. Because of rain that saturated the Stadium Course, they didn't hit another shot until their second round began Sunday morning. Both played 27 holes.
The third round was to finish Monday morning, followed by the final round in pursuit of the $3.6 million payoff to the winner, along with three-year exemptions to the Masters, U.S. Open and the Open Championship.
The Stadium Course is renowned a Pete Dye specialty that doesn't favor any one style of play, and that much was evident going into the final day of this marathon finish.
None of the leading six players, all separated by two shots, have ever won a major. Paul Casey has the most experience in pressure situations with his Ryder Cup experience. He was two behind and facing a 5-foot par putt as he tries to extend his amazing streak without a bogey at Sawgrass to 43 holes. Casey began the championship with a triple bogey.
Lahiri and Varner have never won on the PGA TOUR. Hoge collected his first win last month at Pebble. Burns has won twice in the last year and is part of the burgeoning class of young American stars. Also at 7 under was Sebastian Munoz of Colombia with one PGA TOUR title.
With so much golf left, possibilities were endless.
Sixteen players were within four shots of the lead, a group that included the resurgent former Open champion Francesco Molinari and his successor holding the claret jug, Shane Lowry, whose round was highlighted by an ace to a front pin on the island-green 17th.
Doug Ghim, at 6-under par, was holding his own despite getting the short end. He was the only player among the top 15 after 36 holes who had the late-early start times and faced the worst of the fickle weather, mainly the 35 mph wind on Saturday.
Lahiri and his side of the draw weren't entirely off the hook. They arrived to Sawgrass at dark and temperatures at 35 degrees, and most of their second round was played in bitterly cold temperatures.
Sunday at TPC Sawgrass typically decides the winner. This time it was all about who got to keep playing into Monday evening.
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler can count themselves among the fortunate. They finished the second round Saturday at 2-over 146 and appeared certain to miss the cut with the final two groups finishing up the round.
And then Scott Piercy, who appeared safe at 2-under par, hit two shots into the water on the island-green 17th and made a quadruple-bogey 7 that knocked him to 2 over. Piercy bogeyed the 18th and wound up missing the cut.
Others didn't get off so easy. The strongest field of the year won't include three of the top 10 players in the world — Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele missed the cut.
One thing made clear at the halfway point was who lucked out on the tee times.
Burns was watching most of Saturday on TV.
“I just felt bad for the guys that had to play,” he said. “You never wish that upon your opponents. It's unfortunate. Over your career, you have good waves and bad waves. ... There's only so much you can control out there, and weather is not one of them.”