Play will resume at 08:00 (12:00 GMT) with all 71 players left in the field to complete their third rounds.

India's Anirban Lahiri leads on nine under, with Casey two behind.

An Englishman has never won the Players, with only Sandy Lyle in 1987 and Rory McIlroy in 2019 from the UK triumphing in its 48-year history.

But Casey, who finished joint fifth last year, has put himself in prime position to challenge after a run, stretching back to round one, of 42 holes without dropping a shot.

He was among those teeing off in near freezing temperatures at 08:15 on Sunday morning as he completed a three-under 69 in round two, which included a 53-foot birdie putt on the par-three 17th 'island hole'.

"That birdie on 17 was a lot of fun," he said. "It was a long day. I started in the dark and got home in the dark. But it was productive. It wasn't my best ball striking, but I putted really well, and that's been the crux so far this year."

He then had two birdies and seven pars as he completed nine holes of round three before darkness ended play.

The cheers that greeted that Casey's birdie were loud, but nothing compared to those that followed Lowry's ace on the Stadium Course's signature hole, which echoed through the trees.

The 2019 Open champion let out a roar of delight before bumping chests with playing partner Ian Poulter and then high-fiving fans on his way down the footpath round the lake.

"Special things happen sometimes," he said. "It's pretty cool to do it there, one of the most iconic holes in golf.

"Not only that, it put me back in the tournament.

"I played the 17th hole twice [on Sunday] and did it in three shots, so it doesn't owe me anything," he added, referring to his birdie in round two.

Lowry followed his perfect hole with a bogey on the 18th, but atoned for that with birdies on the first and second to end the day alongside England's Tommy Fleetwood, four off the lead on five under.

Unheralded Lahiri, ranked 322 in the world, is that leader. He raced to the top of the leaderboard with five birdies in the opening nine holes of his third round and will come out on Monday morning with seven holes left to play.

Americans Tom Hoge and Harold Varner III have both played nine holes and are one back at eight under.

Colombia's Sebastian Munoz carded six birdies in the 14 holes he managed to leap up the leaderboard and join American Sam Burns and Casey on seven under.

Italian Francesco Molinari also emerged from the pack, and is in a group on six under after playing 15 holes in five under par.

No player has won successive Players titles. However, last year's winner Justin Thomas is still in the thick of it on four under, along with fellow American Patrick Reed, England's Tyrrell Hatton and Scotland's Russell Knox.

There will be live text coverage of the conclusion of the third round from 12:00 GMT on the BBC Sport website, with the final round from 17:00.