Anirban Lahiri is seven holes away from a PGA tour title; what it means for India [details]

India's Anirban Lahiri is on a roll. At the end of Sunday, Lahiri who holds world rank 322, was in the sole lead at The Players Championship 2022. He raced to the top with five birdies in the opening nine holes of Round 3 and has seven holes left to play today.

The Indian golfer finds himself with a one-shot lead among the world's best rankers. With Round 3 suspended late on Sunday due to darkness and multiple weather disruptions, the play resumes today.

On top of the leaderboard

Lahiri (67-73 and 5 under through 11) at 9-under took a one-shot lead over American duo Harald Varner III (69-69 and 2-under through 9 in third) and Tom Hoge (66-71 and 1-under through 9 in third).

25 more holes to go

If he wins, Lahiri will script history and clinch his maiden PGA tour title. Although anyone acquainted with the world of competitive golf knows too well that it is still a long way with one more day and 25 holes to go. There are unpredictable performances and ever-changing names on the leaderboard to battle with.

With so much gold left, the possibilities are boundless. It must be noted that both Lahiri and Varner have never won on the PGA tour and a lot is at stake for both of them, including the $3.6 million payoff, along with three-year exemptions to the Masters, U.S Open and the Open Championship. The leading six players are all separated by two shots and have never won a major.

Indians who've shone on the PGA tour

Only a handful of Indian golfers have played at the Majors, let alone made a cut there. Anirban Lahiri has the most appearances at the British Open and PGA Championship, among Indians. The first Indian golfer to win on the US-based PGA tour happens to be Arjun Atwal, who won the 2010 Wyndham Championship held at the Sedgefield Country Club, North Carolina, USA. If Lahiri can hold onto his form today, he will win the biggest ever title for an Indian golfer. That means a lot.