Lahiri carded a five-under 67 to take a one-shot lead into the final round, with Casey in a group of four players tied-second; watch the final round of the PGA Tour's flagship event live on Sky Sports The Players
Tuesday 15 March 2022 06:39, UK
Paul Casey moved a step closer to becoming the first English winner of The Players after moving within a shot of the lead going into the weather-delayed final round at TPC Sawgrass.
Casey returned on Monday to complete the final nine holes of a third-round 69, after heavy rain and thunderstorms earlier in the week dragged the PGA Tour's flagship event into a fifth day for the first time since 2005.
The world No 27 heads into Monday afternoon's finale on eight under and in tied-second alongside Sebastian Munoz, Doug Ghim and Sam Burns, with a bunched leaderboard seeing 15 players separated by just three strokes.
Resuming two off the lead, Casey holed from five feet with his opening shot of the day to save par at the 10th, before getting up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the par-five 11th.
Casey missed a four-footer to save par at the 13th and failed to take advantage of the par-five 16th but drained a 35-footer at the iconic 17th, having holed from 50 feet on the same par-three a day earlier.
The 44-year-old then registered a two-putt par from inside 10 feet at the last to remain at eight under, while Munoz closed out a brilliant bogey-free 65 and Ghim birdied two of his three holes to post a four-under 68 and also get within one of the lead.
Australia's Cameron Smith sits on seven under alongside first-round co-leader Tom Hoge, as Shane Lowry - who aced the par-three 17th yesterday - birdied his final hole to join Russell Knox and Harold Varner III in the large group of players on six under.
Francesco Molinari bogeyed two of his last three holes to fall five behind alongside Tyrrell Hatton, with Viktor Hovland also on four under after firing a brilliant hole-in-one at the par-three eighth in his third-round 68.
Justin Thomas' hopes of a successful title defence were hampered by two late bogeys and a level-par 72, dropping him six off the pace alongside world No 1 Jon Rahm, while Rory McIlroy's inconsistent week after a third consecutive 73 dropped him to tied-61st.
Who will win The Players Championship? Watch the final round live on Monday from 5pm on Sky Sports' dedicated channel - Sky Sports The Players.
