Most dominant player the first three days at the 2022 Players Championship?
Mother Nature.
She beat up the best the game has to offer. She turned the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course into a torture chamber on Saturday then on Sunday she was merciful and this weather-trodden event will come to what could be a thrilling end late Monday afternoon/evening.
This one’s totally up for grabs. Not one player from the world’s top 10 is in the hunt, in fact, it’s a surprising and eclectic leaderboard with perhaps the 2022 version of Craig Perks in the lead when the horn blew around 7:30 p.m. in Ponte Vedra Beach to end play for Sunday.
Anirban Lahiri, who has never on the PGA Tour and is an undistinguished 322nd in the Official World Golf Rankings, walked off the course in the chilly early evening air at nine-under par for the tournament. He got there with five front nine birdies for 31 going out. He bogeyed 10 then birdied the par five 11th and is the solo leader.
Tom Hoge and Harold Varner III are a shot back of the longshot, Lahiri. Hoge has won on Tour, Varner has not. Hoge, after rounds of 66-71 was just one-under through nine holes but at eight-under, starts Monday a shot back. Varner hit an incredible third into the ninth hole from the left rough, behind a tree. He hooked it around the trouble, it landed on the green, spun left toward the hole and nearly went in for eagle. The tap-in birdie got him to eight-under.
Three more are just two back of Lahiri at seven-under par: Paul Casey (70-69), Sebastian Munoz (70-73) and Sam Burns (68-69). Casey was two under for his third round through nine holes, Munoz was six-under through 14 while Burns was even through nine.
Francesco Molinari (five-under through 15), Daniel Berger (four-under through 13), Cameron Smith (two-under through 10) and Doug Ghim (two-under through 10) were all at six-under when play was halted.
Sunday was a long day as many players had to finish their second round. The 36-hole cut was made, it came at two-over par then the field was re-paired and threesomes went off both the first and tenth tees as the race was on to play as many holes as possible before daylight ran out.
The lead threesome of Hoge, Varner III and Burns made it through the front nine and will face 27 holes of play on Monday.
After the third round is complete, the field will be re-paired, again in threesomes and play will be off both tees once again.
Lahiri is basically trying to become the 2022 version of Craig Perks, who won this championship 20 years ago. He had never won on the PGA Tour and never won again after his massive upset triumph.
“It was a bit of a struggle,” Lahiri said of his morning round, where he finished with 73. But he caught fire at the start of round three. “Coming into this (event), my irons were terrible. We made a change in swing weight. Now they’re going where they’re supposed to and I’m making more confident swings.”
What will it take for Lahiri to pull off the huge upset on Monday?
“I have to make good decisions,” he answered without hesitation.
Long way to go, plenty of talent lurking behind him.
Who will emerge at the end of Monday?
There are 31 players within five shots of Lahiri.
And there are a lot of treacherous holes to navigate.
Players to watch? How about Cam Smith? Hoge has kept the ball in play as well as anyone. Varner? Love my fellow East Carolina alum but when the pressure builds, not sure he can handle it (yet). Daniel Berger? Perhaps. Francesco Molinari? Where’s he been?
This is is basically too tough to call with 27 tough holes to play on Monday.
Players Championship Scoreboard:
54-Hole Contender(s) Update:
It’s going to be one amazing final 18 holes, hard to recall when this many “smaller name” players had a chance to win this big one. Lahiri made it into the house with 67 and he’s alone at nine-under par but things are really stacked up behind him. Sebastian Munoz (65) shot the low round of the tournament to post eight-under along with Sam Burns (71), Paul Casey (69) and Doug Ghim (68). Cam Smith is a huge threat sitting there at seven-under par after shooting 69. Tom Hoge’s in there with him after posting 72. Things are really jammed up at six-under, just three back. Russell Knox (68), Shane Lowry (67), Kevin Kisner (68), Louie Oosthuizen (69), Kevin Streelman (66), Will Zalatoris (70) and Harold Varner III (72),
This one’s totally impossible to predict. Really good playing conditions compared to the first three days. The Monday morning scores reflected that. The greens are still pretty receptive meaning someone could go really low over the final 18 and win this thing.
