Chilly temperatures and gusty winds kept scoring to a minimum during the second round of the Golfweek Senior Desert Showdown. Taking place at the University of Arizona’s home course – the Sawailo Course at Casino Del Sol — Tucson wasn’t the desert paradise most expect when wintering there.
The lone exception to the lack of scoring was Super Senior Robin Rubrecht. The Indiana native was not phased a bit by the adverse desert conditions en route to carding a second-round 7-under 65. Bogey free on the day, Rubrecht catapulted himself into the lead and now holds a five-shot advantage as he heads into the final round. Not only that, but Rubrecht’s score is the lowest of the tournament so far.
Jim Starnes was the only other super senior to come in under par and is 1 under for the tournament.
In the Senior Division, plenty of movement was seen on the leaderboard. First-round leader Terry Cook slid all the way down to a tie for 12th following a second-round 83. Unable to replicate his first-round success, Cook looks to backdoor himself back into the top 10.
Atop the senior leaderboard is the duo of Mike Lohner and David Nelson. Lohner was able to ride the waves to card an even-par 72 to remain at 1 under for the tournament. For Nelson, he was able to move up the leaderboard despite going backward.
Nelson was 1 under for the tournament until he carded a double bogey on his last hole to slide into a tie for first alongside Lohner. The pair will have plenty of competition hot on their heels with four players within two shots of the lead. Another five players lurk within five strokes.
Among those looking to chase down the lead is Golfweek’s No. 2 ranked Kevin VandenBerg.
VandenBerg is looking to chase down not only Lohner and Nelson, but Rusty Strawn. Strawn is not in the field this week but is ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings. With Strawn idle, VandenBerg can make a dent in the 1,930-point difference between him and Strawn.
In the Legends division, New York’s John Hamilton holds a two-stroke lead over Texas’ Bruce Meyer. In the Super Legends division, it looks as though it will come down to Oklahoma’s Craig Collins and California’s Steve Wilson. Both tied at 3 over, the pair of 75+-year-olds have matched each other shot for shot all week long. Should one of them slip, Chicago’s Gil Stenholm is hanging in the fight at 6 over par.
In total four champions will be crowned tomorrow as we inch closer to the end of the Golfweek Player of the Year race. If you want to put your hat in the ring for next year’s race, check out the 2023 schedule here.