Tag: Jim Furyk

Phil Mickelson dazzles; Jim Furyk closes in on Charles Schwab Cup Championship

Jim Furyk started the day three shots back but will take a two-shot lead into the final round.

PHOENIX — It was the marquee pairing of the day, as local favorites Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson teed it up in the second-to-last group in the second-to-last round at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Several hundred fans surrounded the first tee box at the start of their round Saturday at the Phoenix Country Club, a fitting venue for the former Wildcat (Furyk) and former Sun Devil (Mickelson) to do battle.

Furyk, 51, teed off first and went on to eagle the par-5 opening hole. He is one of four golfers still alive in the Schwab Cup race. Mickelson, 51, is not eligible but is seeking his fourth win in six starts on the PGA Tour Champions.

Their on-course battles go back to their college days and continued on the PGA Tour and now the Champions circuit.

“Phil attracts a crowd for sure,” Furyk said. “We’re in Sun Devil country so I heard a lot of ASU out there but Arizona is pretty big and Phoenix is a massive city, so a third of the folks here went to UofA. I’ve seen some support out there as well. It was fun. It’s great to be back in Arizona, it’s great to have that Arizona-Arizona State rivalry. And I’ve known Phil since we were in high school. Good to be out with someone who I played a ton of golf with throughout my career.”

Mickelson produced perhaps the shot of the day on the par-4 12th hole. After bombing his drive well left of the green, his ball settled in the rough in a spot nearly behind the 16th tee box.

Mickelson then pulled off one of his patented flop shots, landing the ball perfectly on the green, where it nestled about two feet away. He would then make the birdie putt to get to 12 under.

Furyk started the day three shots back of Kirk Triplett of Scottsdale. A birdie on nine gave Furyk the outright lead at 14 under. Triplett, who opened the week 65-64, later followed with a birdie of his own on the ninth to get to 14 under. He is seeking his first win in more than two years.

On 15, Furyk almost made an ace on the par-3 hole, although he wasn’t quite sure just how close it was.

“You can’t tell from the tee box,” Furyk said. “I had one that was really close on Thursday, same hole, that Billy Ray [Brown of Golf Channel] said took a peek.”

Furyk closed with three straight pars for a 65 and leads by one after 54 holes at 16 under.

“Scores are low but you want to be patient. You don’t want to force it in there and make stupid bogeys,” he said. “I got myself in a good position.”

Triplett is solo second at 15 under after a 69 and is looking forward to Sunday’s final round in Furyk’s group.

“I haven’t played with Jim in a long time, I am looking forward to it,” Triplett said. “That’s the nice thing about this Champions tour, you get to play with some guys you haven’t played with in a while.”

Stephen Ames shot a 65 to get to 14 under. He is tied for third with Steven Alker, who’s had a meteoric rise on the Champions circuit since turning 50 in July. From New Zealand, Alker moved to Arizona nearly two decades ago, and won last week on the Champions tour, his first win anywhere since 2014. He has posted a top-10 in nine of his last 10 events.

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Mickelson is solo fifth at 13 under after a third-round 68. He closed his round with a birdie on the par-5 18th. He has birdied the hole all three days so far.

The round of the day was recorded by Bernhard Langer, 64, who shot a 63 thanks to a bogey-free day that included four birdies and two eagles, on No. 1 and No. 18. It’s the second time in three months he shot his age or better.

Langer is doing this despite a balky back, which he says started acting up during Wednesday’s pro-am. On Thursday, he admitted he had thoughts of withdrawing, but after talking with his doctor, who said he can’t make things worse, decided to stick it out in his quest for a record sixth Schwab Cup title.

“On this occasion, my doctor assured me I couldn’t do any more damage to it, so that reassured my mind to fight through it, especially Thursday was pretty tough.”

Langer, now tied for ninth at 10 under, came into the week with the lead in the points race but will start Sunday in second.

However, if either Langer or Furyk win the tournament Sunday, they will also claim the Schwab Cup.

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Kirk Triplett makes his move at Charles Schwab Cup Championship

Lefty was back on familiar turf at Phoenix Country Club, shooting a 65 in the first round on Thursday.

PHOENIX — Kirk Triplett, who admits he’s had limited success in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, is looking to change his fortunes this week at Phoenix Country Club.

The longtime Scottsdale resident backed up his opening round 66 with a 64 on Friday to get to 13 under. He will take a two-shot lead into the weekend as he seeks his first win in more than two years.

“We’re only halfway done,” Triplett stressed after his round. “It’s probably my number one thought. There’s a lot of golf to play. A lot of birdies left to be made.”

Triplett has been playing with an edge for a while.

“I’ve had the juices flowing for the last six weeks, just trying to get to this tournament,” he said. Triplett was 32nd in the points with only the top 36 making this final field. “So I’ve been the guy on the bubble for at least a month. I’ve been playing like I’m winning every single week, like every shot matters so I think that has a lot to do with my good play these last two days.”

Triplett, 59, opened his Friday round with birdies on four of his first six holes and took a two-shot lead over Jim Furyk after making a birdie on No. 12. Another birdie on 14 pushed him three shots out in front.  He is seeking his first Champions tour win since he won twice in 2019. His last top-20 was two months ago. His last top-10 was in July. His best finish this season is a tie for second in May.

But he’s come to play this week. So far, he’s 32 of 36 in greens in regulation, tied for second.

“We know where we gotta finish, and nobody’s at that score yet.”

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His second round was an eventful one because of his playing partner, Phil Mickelson.

“My wife and I were talking this morning just trying to remember the last time I played with Phil. It was probably at least 15 years ago.

“He was great to play with, but he’s always been like that. He’s great to his fellow pros. Very talkative, very chatty, grinding away on every shot.”

The final pairing also had a large gallery following it around the course.

“I said that to him on 6 or 7. I said ‘Thank you’ and he said ‘What?’ and I said for bringing these people out,” Triplett said. “We get nice crowds here at Phoenix every year but we got more people than we usually do and he’s the reason.”

Mickelson was among the co-leaders are 6 under after 18 holes and was up past midnight tweeting about bombs.

On Friday, Lefty was indeed bombing his drives. On the two holes used this week used to measure distance, Mickelson averaged 310 yards, a healthy 38 yards farther Triplett. Mickelson is averaging 313.8 for the week.

He had three birdies on the front and closed with birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to get to 10 under, three shots back.

Steven Alker, who beat Jim Furyk by a shot a week ago to win his first Champions event, continues an amazing stretch of hot play. He shot a second-round 65 to get within two shots of the lead. He’s posted eight top-10s in his last nine starts on the circuit after turning 50 in late July.

After going 2,907 days between professional victories, Alker is within striking distance of only having to wait seven more days for his next.

Points leader Bernhard Langer dealt with a balky back for a third straight day but he managed a 1-over 72, dropping him into 31st place.

Prior to his second round, Langer struggled bending over to pick up his ball on the practice green. He then needed a provisional tee shot on the first hole after sending his first shot out of bounds. He later doubled Nos. 14 and 15 before gutting out birdies on 17 and 18.

“Had two out-of-bounds balls and a water ball. I can’t ever remember having two OBs and a water ball in one round as long as my memory goes back, so that’s disappointing,” Langer said. “Made a bunch of birdies and overall I’m still here, so that’s the main thing.”

Thanks to his sizable lead in points, he’ll be in good position for a record sixth Schwab Cup title even with a low finish this week.

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Phil Mickelson surges at Charles Schwab Cup Championship, co-leads with Kirk Triplett, Jim Furyk

Lefty was back on familiar turf at Phoenix Country Club, shooting a 65 in the first round on Thursday.

PHOENIX — During his college days at Arizona State some 30 years ago, Phil Mickelson and his Sun Devil teammates made monthly visits to Phoenix Country Club.

The course has been renovated since then and now hosts the PGA Tour Champions season finale but during Thursday’s first round, Lefty must have had plenty of memories flood back during his seven-birdie, one-bogey opening-round 65 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

“I really had a lot of fun today. The course is in such pristine shape and to play a golf course where you can play some holes aggressive, there are a few parallel fairways, I like that,” Mickelson said. “It allows me to be a little bit more aggressive and play to some safer areas. And then I’m able to take advantage of some short iron play, so I ended up making some birdies.

“This was a good, solid start, but I’m excited to get back out here and make another run at it.”

Mickelson opened with a birdie, had two more before a bogey on No. 8, then had four more on his back nine, including a tap-in on the last. He didn’t sound like he was crazy about his putting on the first day.

“It was okay. I made some good ones on the back nine. I missed some on the front nine, so I’ve got a little work to do. The greens are so perfect, you feel like you should make everyone. The ball rolls so purely on these greens and it’s a matter of matching the speed with the line, reading it right, and getting that good touch. So I’ll have to get a little bit sharper.”

Charles Schwab Cup Championship
Phil Mickelson signs autographs for fans after the first round of the 2021 Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club. Photo by Todd Kelly/Golfweek

Mickelson’s round matched the 65 posted earlier in the day by Kirk Triplett, a long-time Phoenix-area resident.

“I don’t know why everybody doesn’t live in Phoenix, right?” he quipped after his round. “Eighty-five degrees, no wind, perfect conditioned golf course. Why would you live anywhere else? I don’t know what else to say. It was a beautiful day. Scores are going to be good and I’m sure there will be scores lower than mine, but I’m thrilled to shoot 65.”

Playing a home game, though, doesn’t excuse Triplett from some household chores.

“When you’re on the road, you’re just kind of focused on your golf,” he said. “When you’re home, sometimes you’re doing things like cutting up cardboard boxes first thing in the morning to get them in the recycle bin before the trash guy gets there at 6.”

Late in the day, Jim Furyk, second in the standings and playing in the final group with leader Bernhard Langer, stuffed his approach on the 18th hole and then sank his birdie putt to make it a three-way tie atop the leaderboard at 6 under.

Furyk, who had five birdies on his front nine, is one of four golfers still alive in the race for the season-long Schwab Cup title.

“Not a lot of mistakes today,” he said. “Hit a couple bad putts on the back nine on 12 and 15 that bothered me a bit, then a couple bad drives on 17 and 18 but overall I hit the ball extremely well today.”

The former Arizona Wildcat’s final-hole four created a three-way tie atop the leaderboard of golfers with strong local ties.

“That’s a good point, we got Arizona connections all the way around.”

Fred Couples, Steven Alker, Brandt Jobe, K.J. Choi, and David Toms are all tied for second, one-shot back at 5 under.

Bernhard Langer, who leads the standings and is gunning for his record sixth points title, shot a 68 and is 3 under.

Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ernie Els are the other two other golfers in the field with a shot at the title. Jimenez opened with a 1-under 70, while Els carded a 3-under 68.

Kevin Sutherland, who won the tournament a year ago, is T-34, last place, after shooting a 1-over 72. He is one of just four golfers to not break par on Thursday.

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Phil Mickelson is the headliner but he’s not among the final four golfers with a shot to win Charles Schwab Cup Championship

The biggest name in the field can win the tournament this week but not the season-long championship.

PHOENIX — It all comes down to this.

After a wrap-around 2020-21 “super season”, the PGA Tour Champions has reached its final destination at Phoenix Country Club for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

It’s the third leg of the senior circuit playoffs and the 72-hole event features the top 35 golfers in the standings (the top 36 qualified, but Steve Stricker withdrew earlier this week).

Phil Mickelson is the biggest name in the field but he’s not among the four players who have a chance to win the Schwab Cup and its $440,000 first-place prize.

Lefty has three wins on the circuit in five outings and enters the finale 24th in the standings. He also had, by far, the biggest gallery on Wednesday during the pro-am.

“This is my last tournament of the year, I’m going to shut it down after this,” he said after the pro-am. “I kept playing and working on my game on some areas to make some equipment adjustments for next year. I can’t use them right now because they’re not on the approved list, but I wanted to be sharp. I didn’t want to be trying new stuff when I hadn’t been playing.

“I’ll start working on my fitness again to get speed back up. It seems as though as the year goes on, slowly, slowly the speed starts to decline. So I have to really work hard now at 51 to keep my speed up and be competitive on the regular tour. It’s not easy. … But when I get a moment like I had in May, it makes it all worthwhile, so I’m going to keep striving to having a few more of those moments.”

That moment in May was a big one, with Mickelson capturing his sixth major at the PGA Championship.

Similar to the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, the Champions’ postseason has three events. Unlike the FedEx Cup, where the winner of the Tour Championship is the FedEx Cup champ, there could be one golfer who wins the tournament this week but another who claims the top season-ending prize.

Who made the final four? Let’s take a look at who has a shot.

Bernhard Langer

Ageless wonder Bernhard Langer, who last month became the oldest player to win on the tour at age 64, is aiming for his sixth Schwab Cup.

“As you get older, there’s more and more young guys coming up that hit it further and they’re really good players and it’ll be tough for me to be in contention year after year so this could be my last chance to ever win the Schwab Cup and it’d be pretty unique to get six of them.”

Dominion Energy Charity Classic 2021
Bernhard Langer of Germany at the 2021 PGA Tour Champions Dominion Energy Charity Classic at The Country Club of Virginia on October 24, 2021 in Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images

He leads the standings thanks to his two victories and 24 top-10s during this super season. Langer wins the Schwab Cup with a win or even a solo second as long as Jim Furyk doesn’t win. Beyond that, there are several other scenarios where Langer is the champ but those are the most clear-cut.

Jim Furyk

He joined the tour in 2020 but is still considered a rookie during this super season. He finished T-2 last week at the TimberTech Championship. He won three times overall, including his first two times out last summer. He also won the U.S. Senior Open in July.

“You kinda jockey all year to try to get yourself in a good position,” he said after the pro-am. “I do like the position but I do have a lot of work to do.”

He then added that there’s no let up on this tour week in and week out.

Jim Furyk
Jim Furyk of the United States putts on the 7th green during the first round of the Sanford International Presented by Cambria at Minnehaha Country Club on September 17, 2021 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

“Every week it’s Bernhard, Ernie [Els], Retief [Goosen], Miguel [Angel Jimenez], Darren [Clarke]. … you just keep going down the list, it’s a bunch of Hall-of-Famers, a bunch of great players, and so I enjoy the competition and enjoy the camaraderie and love being out here.”

Furyk can claim the Cup with a win this week but can also win with a finish as low as T-3. There are a few other scenarios where he can win the big prize but like Langer, a win this week means he wins it all.

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Jimenez is one of two golfers who will need help. He enters third in the standings after he was runner-up last week but does have two wins this season as well as 16 top-10s in 31 starts. For Jimenez to claim the crown, he needs to win and have Langer finish in a three-way tie for sixth or worse.

Ernie Els

Els is fourth in the standings after a season in which he won twice and posted 18 top-10s in 35 starts. He finished T-4 in each of the two playoff events. He needs to win this week and hope that Langer finishes T-7 or worse.

“He’s just dedicated,” Els said of Langer. “Ironman. Loves what he does, obviously, and does it very well and he just sticks with what he does.

“Hats off to Bernhard, he’s been an inspiration to a lot of players.”

In addition to the prize money, there is $2.1 million in annuity bonus money up for grabs for the top-five finishers in the standings. The annuity will be distributed over 10 years. The winner of the Schwab Cup gets $1 million, with second place worth $500,000; third place getting $300,000; fourth place $200,000 and fifth place $100,000.

Phoenix Country Club is a par-71 course that will play 6,853 yards this week.

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Steven Alker outduels Jim Furyk to win TimberTech Championship, earns spot next year on PGA Tour Champions

“I always know I’ve been good, but to play with these guys, it’s just a matter of feeling comfortable.”

BOCA RATON — Four months ago, few golf fans had heard of Steven Alker.

They’re going to be hearing a lot more from him.

Alker, who had zero status on the PGA Tour Champions when the New Zealander turned 50 in July, won the TimberTech Championship on Sunday by outdueling Jim Furyk down the back nine of The Old Course at Broken Sound Club.

Alker took the lead when he made a 25-foot putt at the 15th hole and added another birdie at the 18th hole to beat Furyk and Miguel Angel Jimenez by two shots. Alker shot a 4-under 68 to finish at 17-under 199 and end a seven-year winless drought.

Alker earned this victory – and a spot on next year’s PGA Tour Champions – through exceptional play. He Monday-qualified for his first event on the 50-and-older circuit in late August and rattled off six consecutive top-10 finishes to keep earning a spot in the next tournament. Sunday’s victory marked his eighth top-10 finish in nine starts.

“It’s just been building,” Alker said. “I’ve been having chances. You have a bunch of top-10s and you get in the thick of it and just try to get a ‘W.’ Not that the top-10s aren’t any good, it’s just that you get that win, and just glad I got one today.”

Alker won four times on the Korn Ferry Tour, his last victory coming in 2014, and three times on the PGA Tour of Australasia. His best finish in a major was 19th at the 2012 British Open.

He’s certainly not a household name – not even among professional golfers. But that will change.

“I didn’t know much about him, either,” Furyk said. “He doesn’t really seem to have any weaknesses. It’s bitter there, but kind of told him on the 18th green I was really happy for him.

“To kind of come from really no status out here on the Champions Tour to making the (Charles Schwab Cup Championship) in only nine or 10 events, that’s playing some good golf. He’s been knocking on the door and in the top-10 each and every week. Eventually you do that enough, you win a tournament.”

Alker thrust himself into contention during the second round of Saturday’s 36-hole marathon (caused when heavy rains postponed play Friday). He started the second round birdie-eagle-birdie and shot 29 on the Old Course’s back nine to sit just one behind co-leaders Furyk and Tim Petrovic entering Sunday.

He struggled on the front nine Sunday, playing his first six holes in one-over. But he made five birdies and no bogeys from there to earn the $305,000 first prize and improve from 46th to 22nd in the playoff standings.

Not bad for someone who had to wait until he turned 50 to get a tee time on the second-chance tour.

“I always know I’ve been good, but to play with these guys, it’s just a matter of feeling comfortable,” Alker said. “I think I’m comfortable right now playing with these guys, but giving yourself chances, I think that’s the biggest thing. Golf’s always about giving yourself chances and eventually it will happen.”

Jimenez gave himself a chance with three consecutive birdies on the back nine to get within a shot of the lead. But he made four consecutive pars before a birdie at the 18th gave the Spaniard a share of second place.

Ernie Els shot 71 and tied for fourth with Petrovic at 12-under 204. K.J. Choi (67) and Kirk Triplett (70) tied for sixth place.

Bernhard Langer finished T11 to maintain his lead in the playoff standings. Langer leads Furyk by 337,727 points entering next week’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix.

“Still got work to do.” Furyk said. “I would have loved to have won this event and then really made it probably a two-man race with Bernhard and I. Now there’s a lot more work to do. I’ll have to win in Phoenix.”

Meanwhile, Alker got his much-waited victory. With many more to come.

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Tim Petrovic, Jim Furyk share TimberTech Championship lead after two rounds

The field played 36 holes on Saturday after Friday’s opening round was postponed because of heavy rains.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Tim Petrovic called it a birdie-fest. He should know.

Petrovic made 16 birdies in 36 holes Saturday, including 11 in a second-round 61, during a marathon day of golf at the TimberTech Championship.

And all that got him was a share of the lead with Jim Furyk at 14-under 130 entering Sunday’s final round at Broken Sound Club.

“Every time I made a birdie, I looked up and Jim was making a birdie,” Petrovic said. “It was like a birdie-fest this afternoon. The greens are soft, so they’re holding and (it was) kind of just a putting contest out there.”

The field played 36 holes after Friday’s round was postponed because of heavy rains. Making it more difficult, the players had to walk all 36 holes because carts are not allowed during the tour’s three playoff events.

Petrovic’s bogey-free 61 was his career low and matches the lowest round on the PGA Tour Champions this season (Phil Mickelson and David Morland). Petrovic, playing in his 100th career event, is looking for his first victory on the 50-and-older circuit.

Furyk’s birdies also came in bunches – he had six in a seven-hole stretch during the second round – as he shot 66-64. The highlight was when he chipped in from a greenside bunker at No. 10 for birdie.

“I did a good job of getting the ball in the hole and scoring,” Furyk said. “I gave myself a lot of opportunities today with the irons and was able to make some really good reads and knock in a bunch of putts.”

Saturday started in windy, misty conditions before the weather cleared and the players took advantage during the afternoon round. While Petrovic had the lowest round, unheralded Steven Alker of New Zealand shot a 29 on his front nine in the second round, starting birdie-eagle-birdie. Alker (68-63) is a shot back of the leaders.

“I finished strong this morning and that gave me some momentum going into the afternoon,” said Alker, who had no status on this tour until he had seven top-10s in eight starts since turning 50 in July. “I had a great run. It was fun.”

Hall of Famer Ernie Els is alone in fourth, three back, after rounds of 67 and 66. Els is trying to win for the third time on the PGA Tour Champions.

“If you played properly, you could make birdies,” Els said. “The greens are putting beautifully. It’s there for the taking, but you’ve also got to play carefully. You can’t just go blindly at it.”

Bernhard Langer played alongside Furyk and Els in the marquee threesome, but couldn’t match their games Saturday. Langer shot 70-69 and is in 15th place, nine shots back.

Langer made some uncharacteristic mistakes, bogeying the short par-4 seventh hole and then made a double bogey at the ninth.

“It certainly wasn’t my best,” Langer said. “I made a bunch of birdies, but way too many bogeys. I was way too inconsistent and I didn’t putt well, either.”

Langer leads in the Charles Schwab Cup standings as he tries to win the championship for the sixth time, but Furyk and Els can narrow the gap with a win Sunday.

Brett Quigley had three birdies early in the second round to lead at 8-under. But he made a quadruple bogey at the par-4 ninth, a pair of double bogeys on the back nine and dropped to 35th after a 76.

It wasn’t his swing, Quigley said. It was a swollen left knee.

“I came out of the locker room for the afternoon round and my knee had blown up,” Quigley said. “The trainer came out on the fifth hole, wrapped it up and gave me some Tylenol. I just couldn’t get up against it (knee). It was a struggle all day.”

Defending champion Darren Clarke’s hopes of repeating ended with a 79 in the first round. Clarke made a quadruple bogey on the par-3 eighth.

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Bernhard Langer defeats Doug Barron in a playoff at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic

The first of three Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs went to overtime in Richmond, Virginia.

“I gotta go play in playoff, I think,” Doug Barron could be heard on Golf Channel telling a group of young fans as he signed autographs after his final-round 68 at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.

Barron had minutes before birdied the par-5 18th hole at The Country Club of Virginia to take a one-shot lead over Bernhard Langer, who then matched Barron with a birdie on the last to force extra holes.

They played the 18th hole again, and each missed the green with their second shots. Barron’s settled left of the green while Langer’s missed to the right. After Barron chipped on, Langer putted from off the green. They then faced similar birdie putts, with Barron going first but he watched his putt lip out. Langer then drained his, letting his putter fall to the green and raising both arms in celebration.

Langer, 64, is the oldest player to win on the Champions tour. He also earned his 42nd Champions title, which draws him within three of Hale Irwin for most all-time wins. Langer had lost his last five playoffs but is now 7-9 all-time on the circuit.

The Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs points leader also extended his lead in the points as he seeks his sixth Schwab championship and first since 2018.

Notables in the field

Ernie Els shot 70-72 before closing with a bogey-free 63, a round that included nine birdies and goes down as the best round in tournament history.

Jim Furyk, second in the points race, 69-68-69 and finished tied for eighth. He had a tap-in birdie to close with a 69 and finish 10 under but lost ground to Langer in the points.

Phil Mickelson was attempting to become the first Champions tour golfer to win four of his first five events on the circuit, but he shot 71-74-71 to finish tied for 47th. For the second straight day, Lefty posted a quadruple-bogey 9 on the ninth hole, which was his final hole of both his second and final rounds. He started his final round with seven birdies in his first 12 holes but also had a double bogey five holes before his second quad in two days.

Tom Byrum eagled the 18th hole for a 70 and a tie for 16th place. That moved him into the 54th spot in the points, which just squeaks him into the next round of the playoffs at the TimberTech Championship in Boca Raton, Florida, in two weeks. The field will then go to 36 for the playoff finale, Nov. 11-14 at Phoenix Country Club.

Shot of the day

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John Daly withdraws, Steven Alker leads after first round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic

If you’ve never heard of Steve Alker, you’re not alone, but he had quite the day.

It didn’t take long for one of the premier names on the PGA Tour Champions to withdraw from the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, as John Daly called it quits after playing his first eight holes 1 over. No reason was given, but have to figure fans at The Country Club of Virginia are sad to see him go.

Steven Alker, on the other hand, had quite the day. He teed off on 10 and got right to work with back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13. Alker would make the turn with a blemish-free 5-under 31. He then birdied four of the first five holes on his back nine for a day total of 9-under 63.

If you’ve never heard of Alker, you’re not alone. The New Zealander spent most of his career on PGA Tour Australasia and Korn Ferry Tour (Web.com at the time). He does have a notable finish in a major championship, with a T-19 at the 2012 Open, an event won by Ernie Els.

“It’s a new chapter for me coming from Korn Ferry and playing with those young guys; big, strong, hitting it forever,” Alker said after his round on Friday. “So in places I was competitive out there, but I’m kind of maybe a little more competitive out here. But as I said, my game’s just coming around at the right time.”

“Out here I find with the three days, you’ve got to get a hot start, otherwise you’re kind of on the back foot of it,” he went on to say. “Only two to go. It’s kind of like playing the weekend really now, just keep going at it.”

Last week Alker finished in a tie for 16th at the SAS Championship, but before that, posted six straight top 10 finishes on the Champions Tour.

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Bernhard Langer, who currently leads the Charles Schwab Cup, played well on Friday keeping the bogeys off the card. After a pedestrian 2-under 34 on the front, Langer made four birdies coming home for a 6-under 66.

“It’s just been more solid play. I haven’t had a lot of Ws, but I’ve put myself in contention a number of times, lots of top-10s, top-5s, just knocking on the door,” Langer said Wednesday when asked about his lead going into the playoffs. “Very consistent play for the last, well, it’s been two years really because we had the super season going.”

He’ll enter the second round T-3, three shots back of Alker.

Notable names in the field and their position: Jim Furyk (3 under, T-17), Ernie Els (2 under, T-26), and Phil Mickelson (1 under, T-31).

Shot of the day

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How Jim Furyk realized the PGA Tour Champions was ‘where I wanted to be’

“It’s not as mentally and physically taxing, yet it’s still extremely competitive.”

RICHMOND, Va. — Last year Jim Furyk was anxious to give the PGA Tour Champions a shot.

He picked his first two starts strategically. First up in August 2020 was the Ally Challenge in Michigan because he loved the golf course, Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, former host of the PGA Tour’s Buick Open (which Furyk won in 2003). Next up was the Pure Insurance Championship, an easy choice because as he said, “everyone likes going to Pebble Beach.”

Furyk took home the hardware from both events, joining Arnold Palmer and Bruce Fleisher as the only golfers to win their first two starts on the senior circuit. He then finished up his PGA Tour season and decided he wanted to come out and join his fellow 50-plus players on the Champions tour, and he hasn’t looked back since.

“It was just very apparent playing in (Champions tour) events, I enjoyed it. I didn’t have a lot of success here last year. I played solid, I finished 13th, but still really enjoyed the tournament, enjoyed the golf course and kind of had the feeling this was kind of my – where I wanted to be,” said Furyk ahead of this week’s Dominion Energy Charity Classic, the first of three events in the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs.

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“It’s fun. It takes a little bit less out of you,” Furyk continued. “A three-round golf tournament, we’re in carts for the pro-am and for the practice rounds – that’s a great invention, by the way – then I walk during the three days, but instead of walking five or six rounds a week, I’m walking three. It’s not as mentally and physically taxing, yet it’s still extremely competitive.”

Plus he’s gotten the chance to get reacquainted with his 8-iron, 9-iron, and wedges again.

“I missed those guys for about four or five years on the PGA Tour,” joked Furyk.

Earlier this month the 51-year-old hosted the Constellation Furyk and Friends, won by none other than 2021 PGA champion Phil Mickelson, who’s set to defend his 2020 Dominion title this week after a war of words online regarding the USGA and R&A’s new local rule for club length. A week after Furyk and Friends at the SAS Championship, the event’s namesake was without longtime caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan due to an injury. Instead, his son Hunter was on the bag, and the pair finished tied for third.

“Better. I’m actually surprised at how well he’s gotten around this week,” Furyk said of Fluff’s status. “He really was hobbled last week and wasn’t able to bear a lot of weight. He’s still got a little bit of a limp to his gait, but we went on — he was on the cart today for the pro-am and he put the bag on his shoulder a significant amount … He’s limping a little bit right now. I’m sure it’s a little sore. I’m sure he’s hiding it a little bit, too. He seems to be all right, thinks he’s going to be good to go.”

Furyk will need his right-hand man to be on his A-game this week as the pair take on the top-72 players from the season-long Schwab Cup points list, especially at 54-hole Champions tour events that are more of a sprint than a marathon compared to the 72-hole Tour stops.

“You can have a bad nine holes out on the PGA Tour, you’ve got seven more to kind of catch up. Out here you play a bad nine holes, you feel like you’ve put yourself behind the eight ball,” said Furyk, who enjoys the pressure and chance to be aggressive.

“I think playing a golf course that’s 7,000 yards gives me a little more chance to be aggressive, fire at more pins. I’ve got a little shorter iron in my hand. When we’re playing out on Tour and we’re sitting at 73, 74 and I’ve got 5-iron, 4-iron in my hand a lot, I’ve got to play a lot more conservative. Conservative isn’t fun, aggressive is fun.”

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Jim Furyk’s son fills in as caddie as Fluff Cowan misses SAS Championship on PGA Tour Champions

In Jacksonville last week, it was Furyk & Friends. This week in North Carolina, it was Furyk & Son.

In Jacksonville last week, it was Furyk & Friends.

In North Carolina this week, it was Furyk & Son.

Jim Furyk, competing in the PGA Tour Champions SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club, finished tied for third with his son Tanner on the bag.

“I’m sure he enjoyed it and I promise you I enjoyed it 100 times more. Special week,” Furyk said after his round. Regular caddie Fluff Cowan was taking the week off. “I feel bad that Fluff went down, that he wasn’t able to be here. I hope he’s healthy and getting better.”

This was a week after he and his wife hosted the first ever Constellation Furyk & Friends tournament on the PGA Tour Champions.

Furyk and Tanner were teammates in the PNC Championship last December in Orlando. The SAS was the first time Tanner caddied for his old man.

But he wasn’t the only Furyk child at the tournament.

“It was a real special opportunity for our family. Caleigh [daughter] came in from college,” he said. “To have Tanner on the bag, just really cool. Then to have a real solid week and kind of come down the stretch and feel like you’ve got to make a putt on the last.”

Furyk briefly took the clubhouse lead at 11 under after draining a birdie on the last.

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“I had him in there reading it. He put a great read on it, actually. Noticed something about the green that I didn’t early in the putt. Yeah, just really cool. A great memory for me.

“To go out and play well was a little icing on the cake.”

Furyk is among the 72 golfers who have advanced to the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, which starts this week at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.

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