Tag: PGA Champions Tour

83rd KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship: Fields Ranch yields plenty of red numbers in debut

Padraig Harrington carded a bogey-free 8-under 64 to pace the field.

FRISCO, Texas — The PGA of America welcomed the golf world into its new home as Fields Ranch East Course at PGA Frisco plays host to the 83rd KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.

While the state-of-the-art office space that serves as the new home of the PGA of America has been occupied since 2022, the Senior PGA serves as the christening of the Fields Ranch East course, a Gil Hanse design that has impressed plenty of pros as they have tried to meander their way through his strategic bunkering and subtle but taxing green complexes.

While Fields Ranch isn’t an easy test, two aces were recorded in the first-ever tournament round at the course.

Yet another PGA Professional made history in Thursday’s opening round as Dave McNabb lays claim to the first hole-in-one at Fields Ranch. Similar to Michael Block’s iconic shot at Oak Hill, McNabb never saw it go in the hole.

“I saw one bounce and I sort of picked my tee up,” McNabb told pool reporters. “My caddie, Donny (Wessner), says, ‘It went in!’ Good stuff.”

While McNabb’s ace on the 165-yard 8th will forever be known as the first in course history, former Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin made an ace of his own on No. 4.

Out of his 15 career aces, the one at Fields Ranch ranks up there with the 1 he had at No. 16 in the 1992 Masters. Coincidentally, Pavin’s playing partner, Kenny Perry, was witness to both.

“Kenny is my good luck charm apparently,” Pavin chuckled.

Aside from the two aces, plenty of red numbers dot the leaderboard.

As a second shot golf course, Fields Ranch plays into the hands of ball strikers. As one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour Champions, Padraig Harrington carded a bogey-free 8-under 64 to pace the field.

A key part to scoring at Fields Ranch? The wind.

“Because every hole nearly has a hazard down one side of it, the wind direct has a big effect on this course, it really, really does,” Harrington said.

“In some ways the reason it was an easy 64 is because when you’re playing with somebody like Rocco there’s always a bit of chat and there’s always a bit of fun going on, so you’re quite relaxed. And that really does make a difference to how you feel about your shots and things like that. So it’s something as professionals we always need to keep reminding ourselves.”

Rocco Mediate shared the same sentiment.

“Going around here in the pro-am you’re not seeing low, you don’t see ’em because then — but then when the things change, the golf course is perfect. Wind wasn’t that bad today. I don’t think it’s going to be that bad. You give these guys some different irons into some of these greens they’re going to tear the grass off it. That’s how it’s always been.”

With wind typically a factor this time of year in North Texas, Fields Ranch offers a fair test whether the wind is ripping or not. Luckily for the players this week, the winds should stay at or around 10 miles per hour for the rest of the tournament.

With the wind remaining calm, we’ll get a preview of just how low players can go at the home of the PGA of America. With 25 more championships scheduled through 2034, it will be interesting to see the pace set this week.

Fields Ranch has allowed players to take advantage of well executed shots but has also gotten the better of players who weren’t committed to every single shot. PGA Professional, Bob Sowards, was one of a handful of players thrown off of his game plan.

“Oh, it was very frustrating,” Sowards told reporters following his first round 1-under 71. 

Three under at the turn, Sowards lost all progress with a double bogey-bogey start on the back nine.

“I got pretty angry out there. I told KB, I got to be the dumbest guy on this whole property. Because if you’re going to make a game plan you might as well follow it. I chose not to and paid the price. So, oh, well. At least I still shot under par and gives me a chance going forward.”

Through round one, over 30 players are in red figures with over a dozen more at even par. Ideal weather and fast and firm playing conditions could result in one of the lowest scoring senior majors in recent history.

Defending champion Steven Alker shot a 2-under 70 and is tied for 18th after 18 holes.

Jerry Kelly repeats at American Family Insurance Championship on PGA Tour Champions

Wisconsin native Jerry Kelly won on familiar turf Sunday at the American Family Insurance Championship in Madison.

Jerry Kelly did Wisconsin proud once again.

Defending his title from 2019 in his hometown American Insurance Championship, Kelly shot a 66 on Sunday, then watched as Fred Couples, who nearly chipped in for a birdie on 18 to win, miss a six-foot comebacker for par to hand Kelly the win.

“Can’t get any better than this,” Kelly said after earning his eighth victory on the PGA Tour Champions. “After doubling the 18th hole yesterday and bogeying the first hole, I was reeling a little bit.

“It means so much for me to win around here, and now twice, I’m over the moon.”

Couples, won the 2017 tournament for the last of his 13 senior titles. He tied Miguel Angel Cabrera for second. Jim Furyk and Retief Goosen tied for fourth at 12 under, two shots back.

“Hit a good shot. 18, I’ve been there before, I don’t mind driving it over there,” Couples said about the par-5 closing hole. “Then I chose to be long coming back this way. I knew I wasn’t going to get it close and it just came out hot and rolled through the green. I thought I was putting and then chipped it strong and pushed the putt and that was it.”

Tournament host and Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker finished T-7 at 9 under after a 65. Like Kelly, Stricker grew up and lives in Madison.

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz was 79th among the 80 finishers, shooting a 74 to get to 16 over.

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Despite a tough finish Saturday, Jerry Kelly is in the hunt at the AmFam Championship

Jerry Kelly admitted he took the wrong approach to the 440-yard, par-4 No. 18 on Saturday, but he’s still in contention at the AmFam.

MADISON, Wis. – Jerry Kelly had played bogey-free golf through 35 holes of the American Family Insurance Championship.

The Madison native was tied atop the leaderboard at 10-under-par with Miguel Angel Jimenez heading into the final hole at University Ridge Golf Course on Saturday. Then Kelly admitted he took the wrong approach to the 440-yard, par-4 No. 18.

“I need to hit the ball better,” Kelly said. “I need to hit the driver better. I need to hit my shots better.

“It doesn’t change anything. It just shows that I can get caught. I got caught trying to skirt that bunker. I wasn’t smart. I’m not hitting it good enough to split hairs. I should’ve put it out to the right and hit something longer in. That’s the way I’ve been playing. I haven’t been taking chances.”

He three-putted the hole for double-bogey and ended up with a 3-under par 69 in the second round. His 136 total was two shots back of Jimenez, who was steady in the second round with one bogey on No. 14.

“You’re going to be 18 holes anyway, you know?” Jimenez said. “The thing you have to do tomorrow is keep patience, have a good swing rhythm and let everything happen.

“You have to respect all the players that are behind you. They’re all great players, and tomorrow the one who plays better will win the tournament. Or the one who keeps more concentrating, more calm. Don’t think about it. Just do your best.”

Fred Couples heads into Sunday’s final round in second at 9 under. Kelly, who won the last AmFam title in 2019, was in a group with Retief Goosen and Jim Furyk at 8-under.

“I didn’t hit it great again today,” Kelly said. “Just making the most of it, not making any big mistakes and then I made a big mistake.

“That was a bummer to finish on. But I’m the same amount of shots back that I was yesterday (after the first round). I know it’s there, but, boy, I would have liked to be in the last group putting the pressure on. But second-to-last group putting pressure on is OK.”

Madison’s Steve Stricker, the tournament host, carded an even-par 72 after a 70 on Friday.

“I want to play well here so badly, I think, and that’s part of the problem,” Stricker said. “I put some extra pressure on myself to play well. And I had been playing well coming into here and I’m still striking the ball fairly nicely at times.

“A couple wayward shots on the way in when I tried to force things. So that’s disappointing.”

Kelly and Stricker are the big names in Wisconsin golf, along with 71-year-old Andy North, who continues to battle back issues and shot a 74 on Saturday. But other familiar names are competing at University Ridge.

Skip Kendall has played in all five AmFam Championships. Now working as a coach in Orlando, it was a no-brainer for the 56-year-old to fly up despite a recent break from competition. It is his first PGA Tour Champions event of the year.

“Any time they ask me to be here, I will absolutely be here,” Kendall said. “This is home for me. This tournament is a very special tournament. It’s done a lot of great things for the community.”

Kendall had a solid front nine, including four birdies in five holes, but had a tough stretch of three straight bogeys and finished with his second straight 72.

“I’m disappointed I’m even par,” Kendall said. “But at the same time, I’m happy. I really came here to do better than how I’m doing. Hopefully tomorrow I can get it rolling like I did early today.”

Kendall, who also played in the Wisconsin State Open last year, doesn’t know when he will be back in his home state again, but he is making the most of it.

“Had a bunch of nice dinners with some people I haven’t seen in a while,” Kendall said. “Just saying ‘hi’ to everyone. It’s been nice.”

Mario Tiziani is also enjoying mingling with familiar faces. The 50-year-old former University of Wisconsin standout is playing his first PGA-sanctioned event in over a decade, thanks to a sponsor’s exemption.

Tiziani is well-known in these parts. He played for his father at UW and Stricker is his brother-in-law. Stricker’s daughter, Bobbi, acted as Tiziani’s caddie as he shot a 75 in the second round.

Tiziani lives in Minnesota, but is still deeply involved in golf as an agent. His client list includes Stricker, for whom Tiziani often caddies for at pro events.

 “I didn’t really know how I was going to feel,” Tiziani said. “I feel at home, honestly, I don’t feel like I’m an outsider.

“It’s good to see a lot of guys that I know and have met being out here over a few years caddying a bit. It’s been awesome. It definitely gets you excited. I’m anxious to work on my game.”

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Fred Couples talks Tiger, Masters

Fred Couples discusses the upcoming Masters and how his good friend Tiger Woods is preparing to defend his title.

Fred Couples discusses the upcoming Masters and how his good friend Tiger Woods is preparing to defend his title.

John Daly’s snapped putter aside, Senior Players was eerily quiet

Akron Beacon Journal photographer Jeff Lange didn’t see John Daly snap his putter on the 16th hole Saturday at Firestone Country Club. But Lange heard it. During a normal year, even in 2019 when the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship replaced …

Akron Beacon Journal photographer Jeff Lange didn’t see John Daly snap his putter on the 16th hole Saturday at Firestone Country Club.

But Lange heard it.

During a normal year, even in 2019 when the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship replaced the departed World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, the loud crack might not have been audible. Still a man of the people on the PGA Tour Champions, Daly would have drawn a crowd and there would have been buzz as he hit two shots in the water and 3-putted.

In the fan-less COVID-19 world of professional golf, Lange was still able to capture the aftermath of Daly’s dismay after a quadruple-bogey 9, which left Daly putting with a 3-wood for his remaining holes.

Through four beautiful days marred only by a Sunday afternoon thunderstorm, Firestone’s South Course was eerily quiet. A tough Friday crosswind left the field fighting to compensate, but at least the sound of a ball cutting through tree leaves kept one observer from being struck.

The few outside the ropes were marshals, volunteers, girlfriends, wives, tour officials, the cleaning crew and Golf Channel staffers.

John Daly places his broken putter in the back of his cart after finishing with a quadruple bogey on hole sixteen during the third round of the 2020 Bridgestone Senior Players Championship at Firestone Country Club, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Akron, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]
With no television towers erected, the network used “spiders,” a motorized vehicle that looks more appropriate for saving house fire victims from the second story. Only two spiders were on site last year, but with no fans in 2020 the Golf Channel decided to bring in more.

Don Padgett III, executive director of the Bridgestone Senior Players, got the chance to sit behind the ninth green for about an hour watching some groups come through, which he said he’d never done in 14 years in this role. He marveled at being to hear every “good shot” or “good putt” uttered and felt like he was sneaking a peek at an everyday foursome, not the world’s best 50-and-over pros.

Those who did the same clapped politely but lightly at such shots. A robust reaction felt totally out of place.

Padgett also stood at the first tee on Thursday when Fred Couples, Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez opened the tournament.

“We all watched them tee off and said, ‘There would have been a lot of people here with that group going off,’” Padgett said.

But even without fans, Padgett was glad the event went on. Especially after 13 Champions Tour events were canceled and two Senior majors were postponed, including the Bridgestone, previously scheduled for July 9-12.

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“Everybody uses ‘Things are fluid,’ and when you’re trying to plan a big event and all the volunteers and supporters, it’s definitely a moving target. We had the goalposts moved on us a few times this year,” Padgett said.

The biggest challenge in putting on the $3 million tournament during the pandemic was awaiting the decision on fans, not announced until July 22, because of the structures that needed to be erected.

“We could have had limited fans-full hospitality, like Memorial had been approved for, we could have had just hospitality, or we could have had nobody,” Padgett said. “There was a time where we could have a full event, or if things really went sideways no event, and about three scenarios in between. You were just trying to make your best guess.”

Amid the economic devastation brought on by the health crisis, the event held a Wednesday pro-am at Firestone, a priority on the Champions Tour, and the Westfield Legends Pro-Am Thursday at Westfield Country Club. This year $750,000 was donated back to charity, as compared to $825,000 in 2019.

“It will be gratifying to know that we had a big impact on the community —$150,000 to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, other great partners, the LeBron James Family Foundation will get some funds this year,” Padgett said. “That’s what it’s all about for a lot of people and why they’re involved with this event.

A masked volunteer works as a spotter along the No. 2 fairway during the final round of the 2020 Bridgestone Senior Players Championship at Firestone Country Club, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, in Akron, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]
“All things considered, I think we’re going to have a really successful week.”

The field saw Firestone with all its teeth, with firm and fast conditions rarely seen during the WGC days from 1999-2018. Yes, there were COVID-19 tests and protocols. In-restaurant dining was prohibited by the tour, which meant no visits to the Diamond Grille.

But the competitors, even as they struggled, their wives and girlfriends may have enjoyed a peaceful respite amid the beauty of the historic oak-lined course.

If John Daly’s putter could talk, it might be the lone dissenter.

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Jerry Kelly remains atop crowded leaderboard at Senior Players Championship

Jerry Kelly made bogeys on two of his final four holes but he still leads at Firestone Country Club in Akron.

The top of the leaderboard is crowded.

The middle portion of the leaderboard is crowded.

Things are crowded at Firestone. Except in the gallery, of course. Saturday is regarded as moving day and several players got out the two-wheelers and the vans to get themselves into contention in the Bridgestone Senior Championship at Firestone Country Club.

Woody Austin and Scott Parel made the biggest moves on moving day with rounds of 3-under 67 that kept them close to tournament leader Jerry Kelly, who remained in sole possession of the lead despite making bogeys on two of his final four holes to close with a second consecutive round of even-par and a 54-hole total of 2-under 208.

Austin, Parel and Colin Montgomerie share second place at 1-under 209 and Miguel Angel Jimenez, one of the first-round leaders and one of six winners in this abbreviated season, was alone in fifth place at 211.

Heading into Sunday’s final 18 holes there are 14 players within six shots of the lead and some of them carry dangerous credentials. Guys like Ernie Els, Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer and Steve Stricker. Austin, Els, Couples and Langer are in the top five of the Tour Champions scoring leaders this season. Langer, second on the money list, won the Cologuard Classic in early March and Els won the Hoag Classic one week later.

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Austin, seventh on the money list, began the day four shots behind Kelly but got within one shot with nines of 33-34 with just one 3-putt bogey and four birdies.

“I really played good today,” he said. “Reminded me of a 30- something kid that used to hit it pretty good. I drove it really well. And all my good irons kept going and I hit it really close. I actually to a point, that’s probably the worst score I could have shot. I mean, I really played solid.”

Parel, winner of this year’s Chubb Classic in February and in the hunt in this event last year until the final four holes, had an up-and-down round with five birdies and three bogeys to make up for his four-stroke deficit at day’s outset.

He admitted a love of the South Course.

“Because it’s tough,” he said. “I did get some lucky breaks, but you’re not going to get a whole lot of luck out there. You really have to strike the ball well. I haven’t driven the ball that great. I missed a bunch of fairways, but I put myself — even when you miss the fairways if you miss them in the right spot to where you can at least run it up — that’s what I think is fair about this place. It is penal if you miss off the tee, but it usually gives you a chance to recover if you miss it in the rough in the right spot.”

Senior Players: Leaderboard | Best photos

Despite there being just four of 78 players under par, Kelly feels someone is capable of going low.

“There’s a 5-6 or 7-under out there, no question,” he said. “It just hasn’t been done yet but I definitely can see it.”

Kelly had three birdies and one bogey on the front nine to get to 4-under for the tournament at the turn but the back nine wasn’t as productive.

“I got a little loose on the backside for the second day in a row and got out of position and made some bogeys,” he said. “I’m glad I made at least one birdie back there. I could have made two or three more birdies, I was burning some edges. You’re going to make mistakes out here, I know that. I just need to make birdies to counteract the mistakes and live with the mistakes.”

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Hale Irwin’s competitive fire rises again as Bernhard Langer nears victory record

As Bernhard Langer closes in on his record of 45 PGA Tour Champions victories, Hale Irwin doesn’t sound overly possessive.

As Bernhard Langer closes in on his record of 45 PGA Tour Champions victories, Hale Irwin doesn’t sound overly possessive.

But there is a hint of regret in the 75-year-old’s voice, a touch of disappointment. Not because he feels as if the machine-like Langer will eventually pass him, but rather that he wishes he could have competed more in the twilight of his career.

Hampered by a foot injury that would require three to six months of rehab if he underwent surgery, Irwin has played in three tournaments in 2020, the same number in 2019, and hasn’t competed in more than eight since 2015.

“I probably could have played a little bit longer, more effectively had I wanted to,” Irwin said last week. “But things developed off the golf course that gave me opportunities to do other things. If you’re going to play competitive golf, that’s what you do. If you don’t do that wholeheartedly and with more attention than I was giving it, then you’re not going to play as well.

“Of course, someone like me that is highly competitive, I don’t like to accept something less than what I’m capable of. It was frustrating and I was tired of getting frustrated, so I just kind of stepped out of the arena and let those guys bang heads.”

Irwin returns to Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, this week for the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, but he won’t be competing in the $3 million event. Instead, Irwin will join Andy North, Tom Kite, Hal Sutton, Larry Nelson and Gary Koch in the Westfield Legends Pro-Am on Thursday morning at Westfield Country Club.

“I may have to withdraw, that’s too strong a field,” Irwin joked. He was speaking from Denver, where he was celebrating his son’s birthday.

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Langer, who turns 63 on Aug. 27, has totaled 41 victories and will be among the favorites in the Bridgestone field. No. 2 in the Charles Schwab Cup rankings with five top 10s in six events this year, Langer has one victory in 2020, that in the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Arizona, on March 1. He has won at least once for 14 consecutive years and has triumphed eight times at age 60 or older.

Irwin’s last victory came in 2007, but he has shot his age or better 44 times on the Champions Tour, well ahead of Gary Player, second on that list with 30. Among Irwin’s recent highlights was a first-round 67 in the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach in September 2018.

“The body and the mind, you take just a little bit of a hesitant step and the field just goes right by you. That’s kind of what I’ve done the last couple years,” Irwin said.

He said he has a “bunion net” on the outside of his left foot, where the bone toward the end of his little toe separated. It changed his swing pattern and affected his distance.

“The putting is still good, the short game is still good. I still drive the ball accurately,” Irwin said. “I’m 75, do I really want to get my foot operated on? Is it going to work? You just don’t know.”

Hale Irwin lines up a putt on the first hole during the final round of the Senior PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., Sunday, May 29, 2011.

Although COVID-19 protocols may prevent Irwin from hitting a shot at Firestone on this visit, he has fond memories of Akron, where he started to play in the American Golf Classic, which followed the Rubber City Open.

“Coming back reminds me of the very first time I was in Akron. It was such a well-run event, it was so much fun to play,” he said. “They were one of the first tournaments that actually had hospitality that would help players find housing and those kinds of things that we take for granted today. The city embraced it. It’s such a great golf environment.

“You had a really good golf course, you had really attentive crowds, it wasn’t a country club it was a golf club, so you kind of had that atmosphere. For me, it fit hand and glove.”

Family lured Irwin away from competitive golf after his design work dried up between 2007-09. But he plays in outings and said he has gotten more involved in non-golf-related businesses.

Irwin and his wife, Sally, have four grandchildren — “the light of my life right now,” he said — who range in age from 19 to nearly 5. His daughter lives in the Phoenix area near Irwin’s home in Paradise Valley with her two boys, his son in Denver has two girls. The Irwins have also kept their home in St. Louis, where they lived for many years.

Hale Irwin is shown with his trophy after winning the U.S. Open Championship title at the Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., June 16, 1974. Irwin defeated Forrest Fezler with a score of 287. (AP Photo)

“I’m happy, let’s put it that way. I miss playing, I don’t miss the travel and all the other stuff that goes with that,” Irwin said. “There’s always a part of me that will stay tuned to the competitive arena of golf because that was my life for so many years.”

That means Irwin will be watching if Langer catches or passes his victory record.

“It’s his to make or break,” Irwin said. “Have to give the man credit, he’s played extremely well through his later years. I had my run at it.

“If Bernhard makes it, I’ll applaud him. If he doesn’t, he gave it a great try. Nothing I can do about it, just wake up every morning and bless the sunrise.”

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.

Brett Quigley leads Fred Couples by two at Cologuard Classic

Brett Quigley backed up an opening 64 at Tucson National’s Catalina Course with a second-round 68 and leads by two at the Cologuard Classic.

Brett Quigley moved a little bit closer on Saturday to padding his professional win column. That’s significant for the 50-year-old who won his first PGA Tour Champions title earlier this year in just his second start on the senior tour. Quigley had five runner-up finishes in 408 starts on the PGA Tour but never was a champion.

Quigley backed up an opening 64 at Tucson National’s Catalina Course with a second-round 68 and now leads by two shots at the Cologuard Classic.

Quigley nearly went bogey-free for a second day. He didn’t have a blemish on his card in the first round, but his sole bogey of the second round came at the par-4 11th.

“To back up yesterday’s round with a pretty good round today, 5 under,” Quigley said. “Hard to keep track of par out here with 73 being par. I think it was 5 under. A little off the back nine, but managed to shoot under par, so certainly happy overall.”

Quigley leads Fred Couples by two shots after Couples backed up an opening 68 with 66. Miguel Angel Jimenez and Rod Pampling are tied for third at 11 under.

John Daly dropped seven spots on the leaderboard with his Saturday 71 and now is in a share of 10th at 8 under.

Couples, 60, calls Quigley “the kid.” Asked what he thinks of that, Quigley said he was not unhappy to have the nickname.

“Certainly I feel like a newbie again, definitely a neophyte out here. It’s against all the guys I grew up playing with and a lot of guys I grew up watching, so it’s fun.”

Quigley and Couples, along with Jimenez, will be paired together in Sunday’s final group.

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Brett Quigley leads Cologuard after bogey-free 64; John Daly is 3 back

Brett Quigley opened the Cologuard Classic with a 9-under 64 at Tucson National’s Catalina Course and has a one-shot lead.

Earlier this year, Brett Quigley won his first PGA Tour Champions title in just his second start on the senior tour. After Friday’s opening round on the Cologuard Classic, he’s in position to chase another title. Quigley opened with a 9-under 64 at Tucson National’s Catalina Course and has a one-shot lead on Robert Karlsson.

Quigley’s card didn’t have a single bogey on it. His back nine was particularly impressive, considering he went 6 under in his last seven holes. That included four birdies in a row from Nos. 12-15.

“I think I was 3 under and I saw someone 6,” he said. “I was like, `All right, I’ve got to get going here. I’ve just got to make some birdies.’ Hit some good shots and made some good putts and all of a sudden it was a bunch of birdies.”

Karlsson made five back-nine birdies in a 65. The 50-year-old Swede is making his second career start on the senior tour. He tied for 23rd two weeks ago in the Chubb Classic in his senior debut.

Steve Stricker, John Daly, Glen Day and Rod Pampling shot 67. Hall of Famers Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer were another stroke back along with Ken Tanigawa.

Quigley, the nephew of 11-time PGA Tour Champions winner Dana Quigley, had five runner-up finishes in 408 starts on the PGA Tour and earned more than $11 million. Asked what had changed since his recent win in Morocco, he responded “nothing and everything.”

“It’s such a great atmosphere out here,” Quigley said. “The camaraderie’s just different than the tour. Everybody still calls me ‘Champ’ out here, walking by. It’s just a nice feeling. It’s not as dog eat dog as it is out there on the big tour. And I’ve had a bunch of time off, so I’m ready to play golf and I’m happy playing golf.”

Daly, for his part, credited his putter for his solid opening round. He also put a new set of irons in play recently.

Asked to describe the state of his game coming into the week, Daly referenced solid ball-striking at the tour’s last stop in Naples that wasn’t reflected in his scoring.

“Here I hit it pretty good and scored pretty good besides making a few putts,” he said. “But I like the way I’m hitting the ball. If you can hit fairways and wedge up some pretty close, and getting a few gimmes here and there always helps, too.”

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Stephen Leaney tops loaded field at Chubb Classic

Stephen Leaney has a one-stroke lead over three-time champion Bernhard Langer in the Chubb Classic.

Stephen Leaney has had to play for his status on the PGA Tour Champions the past two years.

Sunday, the 50-year-old Australian will be playing for his first professional victory on American soil. But he’ll have quite the contingent to hold off.

Leaney, who has 14 professional victories, made a 30-foot eagle putt on No. 17 and has a one-stroke lead over three-time champion Bernhard Langer in the Chubb Classic at The Classics Country Club at Lely Resort following Saturday’s second round.

“It was a nice eagle on No. 17 again,” Leaney said. “I had a perfect one to the front. It landed right on the front edge. And thankfully I saw Ken (Tanigawa) hole a putt just in front of me, so he showed me the line, and I rolled it in.”

Leaney shot a 6-under 65 to get to 12 under par, one ahead of Langer, and two in front of two-time winner Fred Couples, Chris DiMarco and Fred Funk.

Leaney had three top-10 finishes in his Champions Tour debut last year, then tied for fourth in qualifying school to keep status for 2020.  He tied for 10th in the tour’s last event in Morocco two weeks ago.

Leaney was undaunted on what he faces in regards to Langer, who has 40 tour victories; Couples, who has 13 while not playing a full schedule; and Funk, a nine-time winner who is trying to become the oldest champion in tour history at 63.

“I have won tournaments before,” Leaney said. “No problem in this position. So it’s all about controlling yourself. I can’t control what anyone else does. And regardless of who’s behind me — I know that someone is going to go out and shoot a low score, so you can’t just hold on to what you’ve got.

“So I just got to try and stay patient and go at the flags I can go at. And if it falls my way, so be it.”

Langer, who played with Leaney on Saturday, got off to a slow start, making pars on his first seven holes. He birdied Nos. 8 and 11, then rattled off three straight on Nos. 15, 16 and 17 to jump up the leaderboard in a tournament he lost in a playoff last year.

“I left everything short,” Langer said. “It’s like the greens on the course were slower than the putting greens, so it took me nine holes to just — but really, it’s crazy. But I left a lot of putts short, so that’s why I think there were no birdies. I had chances.”

Couples had a share of the lead when he finished, but Leaney’s eagle on No.  17 and Langer’s birdie on the hole pushed him back to a tie for third.

“I think I judged the wind pretty well, and I made a lot of short birdie putts,” Couples said. “But overall, I drove it really well. … This is the third round I have ever played here. Obviously, the wind blew the other way in the pro-am, and now it’s blowing the other way.

“I like the course. Really small greens. Kind of fits my eye. And (Sunday) is another big day. I would like to keep playing well and see if I can get a ‘W’ here.”

DiMarco, whose best finish on this tour is a tie for sixth, also made an eagle on No. 17.

Langer and Couples have won in Naples before. Leaney will try to join them.

“He played really good,” Langer said of Leaney. “And I played solid. He just putted a little better. And yeah, should be a fun shootout (Sunday), hopefully.”

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