The men's lightweight single sculls competition at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota took place in Nathan Benderson Park.

[1] The schedule was as follows:[1] All times are Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4) The four fastest boats in each heat advanced directly to the quarterfinals.

[3] The three fastest boats in each quarter advanced to the A/B semifinals.

[6][7] The three fastest boats in each semi advanced to the A final.

[6] The A final determined the rankings for places 1 to 6.