Disappointing third round for Anirban Lahiri in FedExCup play-offs

PTI

Massachussets (USA): A disappointing middle section in the third round has put Anirban Lahiri's stay in the FedExCup play-offs in danger as he carded two-over 73 and slipped to tied-53rd in the Dell Technologies Championships at TPC Boston.

Lahiri, who is now two-over 215 for three rounds, needs to finish inside tied-41 to be able to qualify for the third leg of the Play-offs.

Earlier, Lahiri missed the cut at the Northern Trust, the first of the four events, which will end with the Tour Championships featuring the Top-30 players.

The Indian was 66th on the FedExCup standings going into the second round and needs to be 70 or better.

Lahiri was going great guns at the start and was three- under, but then courted disaster. He bogeyed sixth, double bogeyed seventh and bogeyed ninth to turn in one-over 37.

On the back nine, he bogeyed 10th and 12th and even a birdie on 18th was small compensation on a wet day at TPC Boston.

Meanwhile, PGA champion Justin Thomas ran off eight birdies on a for a tournament-best 63 and that gave him a share of the lead with Marc Leishman going into a Labor Day Monday finish.

Leishman, who won at Bay Hill this year, also played bogey-free for a 65 on Sunday to join Thomas at 12-under 201.

Eight players were separated by three shots going into the final round, a listed that included Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey and Jon Rahm. Still very much in the mix was Phil Mickelson, only four shots behind.

Thomas had his third round this season at 63 or better -- a list that includes his 59 at the Sony Open and a 63 at the US Open -- to turn a five-shot deficit into a share of the lead and a chance to win for the fifth time this year.

He birdied six of the first 10 holes, the longest at about 12 feet. He played down the 13th fairway on the 12th hole for the third time this week and holed a 50-foot birdie putt, and then added a pair of 25-foot birdie putts.

Rahm had a two-shot lead. He had the lead until running into trouble on the back nine, making three bogeys until he ended his round with a birdie for a 71.