India's Lahiri grabs lead at Players Championship ahead of Monday finish

India's Anirban Lahiri birdied three of his last four holes to seize a one-stroke lead before darkness halted Sunday's third round of the storm-hit Players Championship.

Lahiri made six birdies against a lone bogey to reach 5-under through 11 holes at TPC Sawgrass and stand on 9-under overall, one stroke ahead of Americans Tom Hoge and Harold Varner entering a Monday shootout at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

"I'm just being in the moment right now. I'm really happy. I'm confident," Lahiri said. "You grind away, keep chipping away, keep working on your game, and when it clicks, it clicks."

Two days of torrential rain followed by fierce winds on Saturday delayed play so some golfers must go 27 holes on Monday to finish the tournament.

Lahiri, 34, seeks his biggest career title after European Tour victories in 2015 at the Malaysian and Indian Opens.

"It definitely would be a career highlight," Lahiri said. "This is the next thing to winning a major."

World number 322 Lahiri seeks his first PGA title and the first by any India player since Arjun Atwal's 2010 triumph at Greensboro. He said it would mean a lot to his homeland because people could watch it there.

"It would be huge," Lahiri said. "With every shot live, it makes a big difference because people get to watch me play. It's not every week you play well, but you play well in a week where people can actually see you play, it makes a bigger difference."

Varner seeks his first PGA title while Hoge captured his first only last month at Pebble Beach. Each has nine holes remaining in round three.

Leaderboard when play was suspended due to darkness:1. @AnirbanGolf -9T2. @HogeGolf -8T2. @HV3_Golf T4. @JSMunozGolf -7T4. @Paul_Casey T4. @SamBurns66 T7. @F_Molinari -6T7. @DanielBerger59