Sungjae Im "1 Under Par in 47 Holes"... Lahiri Surprises with 9 Under Par Lead

'The 5th Major' The Players Day 4: Hogi and Barner III Tied for 2nd, 1 Stroke Behind in Chase; Thomas Tied 18th, Marching Toward 2nd Consecutive Win

Im Sung-jae is teeing off on the 18th hole during the remaining rounds of the 2nd round at The Players Championship, known as the "5th Major." Ponte Vedra Beach, USA = Getty Images / MultiBits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Heavy rain and strong winds, and this time, cold weather."

Im Sung-jae (24) recorded 1-under-par over 11 holes in the third round on the fourth day of The Players Championship (total prize money $20 million), the "fifth major" of the PGA Tour, resumed on the 14th (Korean time) at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA (par 72, 7,256 yards), placing him tied for 45th (1-under-par). Anirban Lahiri (India) leads by one stroke (9-under-par), with Tom Hoge and Harold Varner III (both USA) tied for second place (8-under-par) in pursuit.

Im Sung-jae combined two birdies and one bogey. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), he made a birdie at the 11th hole (par 5), a bogey at the 13th hole (par 3), but recovered with a birdie on the 16th hole (par 5) with a '2-on 2-putt'. He proudly held pars on the notoriously difficult 17th and 18th holes. With seven holes remaining in the third round and 18 holes in the fourth round, a total of 25 holes remain, making a challenge for the 'top 10' quite feasible. Lee Kyung-hoon (31) is tied for 57th (1-over-par), and 2017 champion Kim Si-woo (27) withdrew.

Anirban Lahiri is taking a shot on the 6th hole during the remaining matches of the 3rd round of "The Players," known as the "Fifth Major." Ponte Vedra Beach, USA = Getty Images / Multivits

Lahiri caused a stir by shooting an impressive 5-under-par over 11 holes. He has been active on the PGA Tour since the 2014/2015 season. Although he has yet to win, his best result was runner-up at the Memorial Tournament in June 2017. On this day, his green hit rate of 90.91% and pinpoint iron shots stood out, as he collected six birdies (one bogey). Sebastian Munoz (Colombia) also surged to a tie for 4th place (7-under-par) with a 6-under-par storm of shots.

Defending champion Justin Thomas (USA) is challenging for the first title defense since the tournament's inception in 1974, currently tied for 18th (4-under-par). Joaquin Niemann (Chile), the Genesis Invitational champion, joined this group. World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) faltered with 1-over-par over 12 holes, remaining tied for 38th (2-under-par). Dustin Johnson is tied for 45th, Scottie Scheffler (both USA) tied for 57th, and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) tied for 66th (3-over-par).

Another notable story is that world stars such as No. 2 Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, and Xander Schauffele suffered from the harsh weather and were consecutively 'cut off.' Koepka endured a tough path with a double bogey in the first round and a triple bogey on the 'death 17th hole' in the second round, while Schauffele lost seven strokes on the final 18th hole (par 4) alone, with a quadruple bogey in the first round and a triple bogey in the second round. 'Playoff (PO) champions' Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth (both USA) also joined the 'cut off' ranks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.