Steve Stricker, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, has the lead at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
This will be a big year for Steve Stricker regardless, what with the Ryder Cup approaching this fall. But Captain Stricker could make 2021 more memorable this week if he can hold on at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sunday to win the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
The 54-year-old Stricker will take a one-shot lead into the final round.
“I struck it nicely today. I putted it nicely,” Stricker said. “Couple bogeys I made just kind of some wrong clubs. I hit a 4-iron at the 6th hole and kind of just flagged it, penetrated right through the wind, went over the back, didn’t get that up-and-down. And another one too, I hit it in the middle of the green and 3-putted. But, yeah, it’s a tough place and it’s, it gets your attention on a lot of shots. So it’s a great test and I feel good about what I did today.”
Stricker’s score has dropped with each round, with a Saturday 67 being his lowest yet. He made three consecutive birdies from Nos. 3-5 on Saturday but gave one back with a bogey on No. 6. He played the back nine in 1 under and after 54 holes is 6 under.
That’s one better than Alex Cejka in second and three better than Mike Weir in third. Weir lost ground on Saturday with a 4-over 74.
“I mean, sure, I’m not happy with the way things turned out today, but, yeah, I have a good chance tomorrow and it was one of those days,” Weir said. “It was a little bit of bad golf, a little bit of misfortune, the wind was difficult and I seemed to – there’s a little bit of guessing out there and I seemed to guess wrong quite a bit. But all in all I feel good about my game, I was a little bit off, missed a few short putts and just got to do a little better job tomorrow to have a chance and Strick’s playing great so I’m going to have to play well to catch him and so is Alex, he’s playing well too.”
Alex Cejka has joined Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Lydia Ko and Mike Weir in ending prolonged victory droughts.
Alex Cejka has joined Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Lydia Ko, Mike Weir and Rory McIlroy in ending prolonged victory droughts.
Cejka, making his third PGA Tour Champions start, outlasted third-round leader and defending champion Steve Stricker in a playoff at the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
It’s Cejka’s first win in 2,254 days.
He got in the field for the Champions tour major as the first alternate after Jay Haas withdrew. Cejka’s last win—and lone PGA Tour win—was in the 2015 Puerto Rico Open when he outlasted four others in a playoff. He now has a Champions major in just his third start on the circuit.
Cejka did collect a couple victories 13 months ago on the Outlaw Tour in Arizona, including one in which he rallied to win from six strokes back with six holes to go, when the major golf tours paused during the pandemic.
On Sunday, he had three straight birdies on Nos. 12, 13 and 14 to take a two-shot lead.
Stricker, the 2021 Ryder Cup captain for the Americans, had four birdies on the front nine then stalled with a pair of bogeys on the back. But he got clutch when he needed to, making birdie on 16 to cut the lead to one and draining a 15-footer for another birdie on 18 to tie for the lead at 18 under. Cejka then made his par putt from two feet to force a playoff.
On the first playoff hole, despite a wayward second shot, Cejka drained a 15-footer for birdie, his first birdie on the 18th hole all week. Stricker then faced a birdie putt of his own to extend the playoff but he pushed it right of the hole.
Robert Karlsson finished solo third at 14 under. Ernie Els and Jerry Kelly tied for fourth at 11 under. Bernhard Langer and David Mackenzie tied for sixth at 9 under.
Two weeks ago on the PGA Tour Champions, Cejka finished tied for second at the Chubb Classic. His senior circuit debut came in Tucson, Arizona, at the Cologuard Classic in February, where he tied for 38th.
The tour next heads to the Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia, May 14-16.
Looking to defend his 2019 title, Steve Stricker is again leading the way after Saturday’s third round at the Regions Tradition.
The cover of the PGA Tour Champions’ Regions Tradition page has been the same for two full years, thanks to the pandemic. The words: “STRICKER WINS FIRST MAJOR AT REGIONS TRADITION” still sit on the page, just as they did 726 days before.
If things hold true to form during Sunday’s final round in Birmingham, Alabama, it won’t take much effort to update things — simply swapping “first” for “third.”
Steve Stricker is again leading the way after Saturday’s third round, using a dramatic flair by posting an eagle on the day’s final hole to vault to the top spot.
Stricker finished the day with a 65 and sits at 14 under for the tournament, a single stroke ahead of Alex Cejka and three shots up on Dicky Pride and Robert Karlsson.
Stricker, the Ryder Cup captain for the Americans, is eager to get the chance to close out the win on Sunday for what would be his third major — he also won the U.S. Senior Open in 2019 — but he knows there’s plenty of work to be done.
“This is why we’re here, to have the opportunity to win. And, you know, winning here a couple years has given me confidence that I can play well around here,” Stricker said. “We had a great day to play. And there’s a lot of good players up around the top. I’m going to have to go out, take care of business tomorrow, and put up another good round like I did today. And Alex played great. It was fun to watch him.”
Steve Stricker finished Friday with a birdie on the final hole to push into a four-way tie for the lead at Greystone Golf and Country Club.
There’s a misconceived notion that those on the PGA Tour Champions are simply soaking up retirement benefits while playing a little golf.
But in the case of Steve Stricker, he might have more going on now than during his time on the PGA Tour.
Stricker, of course, has to be mindful of what’s happening on the Tour, as the Ryder Cup is in just under five months at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, as he’s the American team captain.
Oh, and then there’s the Regions Tradition, the first PGA Tour Champions major of the year this week in Birmingham, Alabama, where Stricker will need to survive four rounds and not the typical three of a senior circuit event.
Despite all the moving parts, Stricker kept his focus on Friday, finishing with a birdie on the final hole of the day to push into a four-way tie for the lead at Greystone Golf and Country Club.
“I’m right there. I didn’t do anything dumb today, just hung around,” Stricker said after his 69, which put him at 7 under after two days, tied with Alex Cejka, Jerry Kelly and Darren Clarke. “We’re only halfway home, so we have a weekend to go. Someone’s going to probably bust out of this pack, I would imagine. The wind is supposed to switch directions for the weekend, so that will shake things up probably a little bit, too.
“The course is in great shape and just kind of continue to do what I’ve been doing.”
Stricker will have six captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup, half of the 12-member team, which will be announced after the second FedEx Cup playoffs event at the end of August. The matches are Sept. 24-26.
But he kept his composure despite some blustery conditions on Friday, giving himself a chance to repeat at Regions — he won by a half-dozen strokes in the 2019 event. Last year’s tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.
“It’s been a struggle the first couple of days with the wind conditions, I feel like. Our whole group kind of struggled today a little bit,” he said. “We had some good up-and-downs and I kept the round going by getting some of these good up-and-downs. But that wind has made it tricky on club selection; you feel like it’s one way and it’s blowing another.
“It’s been hard at times to hit some really quality iron shots.”
The talk of the pro-am was Barkley, who displayed a new-and-improved swing that eliminated much of the herky-jerky motion he’s known for.
When he’s walking the streets in his native South Africa, Ernie Els is a pretty big deal. The Big Easy has 74 professional golf victories including 19 on the PGA Tour and 28 on the European Tour.
But when he’s in Alabama, Els understands the pecking order. And while fans were excited to see Els and other members of the PGA Tour Champions as part of the Regions Tradition pro-am in Birmingham on Wednesday, Alabama football coach Nick Saban still commands the room’s attention.
Els and Saban went off at 9 a.m. CT on Wednesday at Greystone Golf & Country Club, ahead of other stars like Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson, Eddie George, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart and former Auburn coach and current U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville.
“Yeah, that is royalty right there. I’m from South Africa, so I’ve been coming to the U.S. many years and I kind of understand the culture here, especially in football culture,” Els said of Saban. “That is as high up the tree as you can go, Nick Saban. So it was a real treat to play with him and have a chat with him. Just to be around him was really special.”
And while Els hasn’t spent much time in state, he did take an Iron Bowl football game in while his nephew was attending Auburn. He admitted that playing Saban in Alabama was an unforgettable experience.
“It’s like some kind of a rock star, Elvis Presley walking around. People just want to be near him, they want to be close to him, they just want to touch and feel him,” Els said. “He’s the man around here, and rightfully so. Arguably—probably not even arguably—he’s the best coach in my lifetime. To have been paired with him and to rub shoulders with him was great. It was a good time.”
And while the masses huddled around Saban, the talk of the pro-am was Barkley, who displayed a new-and-improved swing that eliminated much of the herky-jerky motion the former NBA star has been known for on the golf course.
“I used to be a good player until I took too many lessons from too many different people. Now I’ve got 10 people talking to me at a time when I’m trying to swing the golf club,” Barkley said in November. “I’m really trying to get out of it. I’m working with Stan Utley now and I’m playing better than I have in 20 years. But I’ve tried everything, including hypnosis. I’ll never believe in it again. I woke up with the same sh–y swing.”
Barkley was helped by some soft greens and fairways as the area saw significant rains on Tuesday.
Els, for one, was impressed with the grounds on Wednesday, as the senior circuit’s best players worked in anticipation of this week’s event, the first major on the PGA Tour Champions’ 2021 calendar.
“I think the course held up unbelievably. I mean, yesterday we had six inches of rain. I really didn’t even think we would play this morning, but they’ve done well, the superintendents have done well. The greens are running beautifully,” Els said. “So I think we’re in for a good week. It’s still going to be very soft. We’re probably going to have the ball in hand probably the first maybe two rounds and then see how it goes. Really happy to see the course being playable.”
In his 14th start on the PGA Tour Champions, Weir snapped a winless streak that had stretched to 13 years, six months and two days.
In February, Mike Weir was in position to win for the first time—anywhere—in more 13 years. He led by four shots through eight holes during the final round at the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Arizona, but Kevin Sutherland tracked him down to snatch away the victory and keep Weir’s winless streak alive.
On Sunday, at the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands, Texas, Weir didn’t let another one slip away.
In his 14th start on the PGA Tour Champions, Weir snapped a winless streak that had stretched to 13 years, six months and two days.
John Daly briefly held a two-shot lead after he eagled the par-5 13th hole but Weir eagled the same hole a few minutes later, knotting things up at 10 under. Those two dueled from there but after smoking a drive on 18, Daly, playing a hole ahead of Weir, came up short on his approach shot and splashed down in the lake in front of the green. He would close with a double bogey 6 and a final-round 69.
Weir, who stuffed several approach shots on Sunday, did so again when he needed to the most on the final hole. He then two-putted for par to seal the win by two over Daly, Tim Petrovic and David Toms.
Toms was trying to make it an LSU double on Sunday. Just a couple hours earlier, Sam Burns earned his first PGA Tour win at the Valspar Championship. Toms, a mentor and friend to Burns, shot a final-round 71.
The Insperity was reduced from 54 holes to 36 with most of Friday and Saturday impacted by heavy rain. It was the first Champions event to get cut to 36 holes since the 2018 Principial Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa. Second-round leader Tom Lehman was declared the champion there after thunderstorms throughout the final day.
The joke, as Jim Furyk likes to tell it, is that everyone is thrilled to be on the PGA Tour Champions. Just thrilled.
The joke, as Jim Furyk likes to tell it, is that everyone is thrilled to be on the PGA Tour Champions. Just thrilled. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know their prime is behind them, right?
“We all just get really excited about getting older and turning 50,” Furyk joked earlier this week. “It’s awesome.”
Snark aside, Furyk and a strong field will be lacing up their spikes on Friday to take part in the Insperity Invitational, a lucrative stop on the PGA Tour Champions at The Woodlands, just north of Houston.
Forget the whole field, just Furyk’s pairing has quite the pedigree. In fact, Furyk, Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie — who open their first round on Friday at 11:40 a.m. ET — have amassed a combined 96 titles on the PGA and European Tours.
So the competition should be fierce at Insperity, the first of three straight weeks of PGA Tour Champions action. And while Furyk, Els and most recently, Phil Mickelson, might not be thrilled about moving to the senior circuit, they’re also realistic about their chances.
Scott McCarron poses with the trophy after winning the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands Country Club on May 05, 2019, in The Woodlands, Texas. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
As reigning champion Scott McCarron said on Wednesday, what once might have been thought of as a step down becomes a wonderfully viable option as players get longer in the tooth, but shorter off the tee.
“You’ve got to remember, almost everyone that played the PGA Tour and was successful played out here. There’s only a couple guys that didn’t and those guys were guys that had a lot of other extracurricular stuff going on. They had businesses and they put their competitive juices into that. But the guys that still want to compete, they all come out here,” said McCarron, who won three times on the PGA Tour but has 11 move victories to his credit since moving to the Champions loop.
“So when I look at the Jordan Spieths and Rickie Fowlers and all these guys that have a long time before they get out here and they all say, ‘Well, I’m not going to play out there.’
“Yeah, you will. Everybody does.”
A total of 11 World Golf Hall of Famers will be on hand this week, with Els and Montgomerie being joined by Retief Goosen, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Davis Love III, Sandy Lyle, Mark O’Meara, Jose Maria Olazabal, Vijay Singh, and Ian Woosnam.
And while Furyk might joke about not being ecstatic about meeting the age threshold, he’s certainly thankful for the comforts the tour brings. And the purse — at over $2.2 million, or nearly $700K more than last week’s at the Chubb Classic in Naples, Florida — doesn’t hurt to bring up the group’s spirits.
“I enjoy being out here. I enjoy the carts, I enjoy as far as the practice rounds, carts in the pro-ams, only three-round events. It’s more much a track meet. It’s not a marathon out here, it’s a track meet. You’ve got to get out there and make some birdies and shoot some low scores,” Furyk said. “I get to see some friends that I wasn’t seeing for, say, the last five to 10 years. There’s this misconception, and I talked to some of the younger players on Tour, that everyone’s out having a beer and a glass of wine, no one’s practicing. It’s not really quite that way. Guys are shooting 15, 16 under every week.
“The range is usually packed and full of guys working on their games and working hard, and you’re seeing that even though we’re 50 and over, there’s a lot of guys that are really competitive and playing some great golf.”
Steve Stricker, who sold his Naples home, won the PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic at Tiburón Golf Golf Club by a shot.
NAPLES, Fla. — Steve Stricker is leaving Naples. And he left it Sunday with a win.
Stricker, who sold his Naples home, won the PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic at Tiburón Golf Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.
The 2021 U.S. Ryder Cup captain missed some chances to pull away, but knocked it tight on the par-4 16th and made birdie to give himself enough room for his sixth Champions Tour victory by a single stroke.
“I could have made it a little easier on myself for sure,” said Stricker, whose wife Nicki was his caddie. “I knew exactly where I was. I told Nicki when we were going down No. 14, I said, ‘Let’s get two out of these next three, and I hit it in there at Nos. 14 and 15 and missed them both and hit it in there at No. 16, but if I could have made a couple more putts, it would have been a little bit easier.
“But it’s tough to win. It’s tough to win anywhere, and I’m happy to get it done.”
Stricker, 54, has won six times in 29 PGA Champions Tour starts, but he’s still playing the regular Tour as well, partly to keep tabs on possible players for this year’s Ryder Cup. He’s made three cuts with one top-10 in eight starts there on the wraparound season.
“It kind of goes week to week,” Stricker said of his decision-making regarding what events to play. “I enjoy playing out here. Competition is great. You have to play well to win. But I also still enjoy playing on the regular tour. I’ve had a couple good showings this year so far. If I could get the putter going a little bit, my ball-striking is probably as good as it’s been when I was playing my best out on the regular tour.
“If I can get that putter going, I’ll probably play out on the big tour and see if I can’t make the (FedEx Cup) Playoffs one more time.”
Stricker parred four straight holes, including three-putting for par on the par-5 15th, but recovered on No. 16. Then he put his second shot in a greenside bunker on the par-4 17th, but crafted a delicate shot – with his left foot out of the bunker – to within 3 feet for par.
Steve Stricker acknowledges the crowd after the final round of the Chubb Classic at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. (Andrew West/The News-Press)
“I didn’t have much of a stance there – shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” he said. “… Yeah, that was a tough little stance and just hacked it out of there and gave myself a four-footer, which I made nicely for a change.”
On the par-5 18th, Stricker put his second shot in the greenside bunker, but couldn’t get up and down for birdie, leaving the door open.
Robert Karlsson, who entered the final round sharing the lead, and Alex Cejka, who won the Monday qualifier, both had to eagle No. 18 to force a playoff. But both missed the green, and although Karlsson’s pitch and Cejka’s bunker shot were fine efforts, neither went in. Both birdied to finish a stroke behind Stricker.
“Today felt a bit uncomfortable,” Karlsson said. “It’s a long time since I’ve been up there. Yeah, it was nice to be up there. I played really well the last few holes.”
“I saw where he was (at 16 under). I thought, ‘I have to try to give it a go.’ But when it came out a little right, I was like, ugh. You can’t expect to hole it from 40 yards when you missed it from six feet a bunch of times throughout the day. That’s not the problem.”
Cejka was trying to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the tour since Doug Barron at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in 2019. Still, his top-10 finish put him automatically into the field at the next eligible event, the Mitsubishi Championship in Atlanta.
“A couple of little mistakes hurt me, especially early in the round,” he said. “This course can be tricky but I gave it a shot until the end.”
Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer both were in contention but fell back with poor tee shots late in the round. They tied for sixth at 13 under.
Couples, who had a share of the lead going into the final round and had won twice in Naples, had to take an unplayable lie on the par-5 15th and bogeyed. Three-time Naples champion Langer, after just missing an eagle putt on that hole, put one in the hazard area on the par-4 16th. He also bogeyed to end his chances.
“(Stricker) played extremely solid, never really made a mistake, he just kept the ball in play, hit good shots, and made a couple of good putts but had a couple other chances, too,” Langer said. “He played really, really steady, just the way you’re supposed to play around here. Hit a lot of 3-woods off the tee, but he’s pretty long still, and yeah, gave himself lots of looks and never had any total stress to get up-and-down or anything like that.”
Tim Petrovic, who shot a 7-under 65, and Charles Schwab Cup leader Kevin Sutherland, who shot 6 under, both tied for third.
Petrovic birdied No. 18, but Sutherland ended up with a par after coming up just short of the green in two.
“I wish I could have made birdie on 18,” Sutherland said. “You never know what’s going to happen. But I just didn’t hit — I hit two poor shots around the green, and that’s the way it goes.”
Stricker was happy he had his wife there as his caddie.
“She’s a great calming influence out there,” he said. “She’s very upbeat. She says the right things.”
Especially when at times a leader’s biggest conflict is with themselves.
“You’re battling yourself, you’re battling the course and you’re battling the other players,” he said. “As the older we get, you’re battling yourself more than anything at times. That’s what makes it hard, and that’s what makes the game hard.”
Stricker was looking up at the leaderboard at what everyone was doing the whole way.
“I was watching it all the time,” he said. “I like to know where I’m sitting. I knew who was coming. I saw the look in Bernhard’s eye there for a little while, and I’m like ‘Uh-oh, here he comes.’
“I saw Freddie was only a shot or two back, and Robert Karlsson who I played with (Saturday) who’s really striking it well, and obviously Kevin Sutherland was already in the house already, or on 18.”
In the end, though, he was looking down at everyone else.
World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman reportedly just bought a new home in Palm Beach Gardens near Brad Faxon.
Brad Faxon has a new neighbor. And a former fellow TV analyst.
Faxon and his wife Dory, a real estate agent, live in the Old Palm Golf Club community in Palm Beach Gardens where World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman reportedly just bought a new home. Both Faxon and Norman were part of FOX’s golf coverage.
“I know which house he bought, the Lashingers’ house. I read what he paid for it ($12.2 million) — I never know if that’s true,” said Faxon at the Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO at Tiburón Golf Club, where Norman designed both courses.
Norman also is the tournament founder and host of the QBE Shootout, the PGA Tour team event played at Tiburón since 2001. This is the first year the Black Course has hosted the PGA Tour Champions tournament. The Shootout and the CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA tour have both been played on the facility’s Gold Course.
Old Palm’s golf course was designed by Raymond Floyd, and has had several tour pros call it home at some point. Ernie Els was the most recent to leave.
“When we moved down, Ian Baker-Finch lived there, Louis (Oosthuizen), Charl (Schwartzel), Branden Grace, Shane Lowry’s renting in there,” Faxon said. “(Lee) Westwood lived there.”
Rory McIlroy also owned a home there, but reportedly bought Els’ home at The Bear’s Club.
And Faxon said Els has sold his place and moved near Seminole Golf Club.
“Now it’s like everything in Florida is sold out,” he said. “There’s no places left anywhere. It’s crazy.”
Norman’s new 11,837-square-foot house sits on two acres and features six bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and two half-baths. The property also has a tennis court, guest house and a massive resort-style pool with a swim-up bar.
Tiger Woods’ ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, paid $9.4 million for a home there in September.
Norman has reportedly wanted to return to Australia after battling COVID-19 late last year. Norman also sold his Seven Lakes ranch in Colorado for $52 million in March.
Fred Couples now has company atop the leaaderboard at the Chubb Classic.
NAPLES, Fla. – Fred Couples finished where he started Saturday — in the lead at the Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO.
But the two-time winner in Naples didn’t do so as emphatically as the first round. And he has plenty of company.
Robert Karlsson, a Swede with 11 European Tour wins and a pair of European Ryder Cup appearances, has a share with Couples at 12-under 132 on Tiburón Golf Club’s Black Course.
Couples, who set the course record with a 9-under 63 Friday, was nowhere near that sharp Saturday – at least as far as making birdies. He parred the first 10 holes before finally getting a birdie to drop on No. 11, then gave that back with a bogey on No. 12. But he came right back with a birdie on No. 13, then finished with back-to-back birdies to tie Karlsson.
“I just didn’t make many birdies or hit any really, really good shots — but finished strong, and I’m tied with Robert with a handful of guys very, very close,” said Couples, 61, who hasn’t won on tour since 2017.
“It was a good birdie on the last. I didn’t hit the ball poorly, you’ve just got to get it in the right spots. … It got exciting out there, and it got bunched up. Someone at 8-under could shoot 7- or 8-under and still win. No one is really out of it, that’s for sure.”
Karlsson came in with a 66 late Friday, then matched it Saturday. He was 6 under for the round with five holes to play, but made a bogey and parred three of them before birdieing No. 18.
Karlsson arrived in town early to check out the new tournament course and that’s been a good move.
“It has definitely helped, definitely for the tee shots,” he said. “I put in a bit of extra work and kind of hitting some of the low tee balls, which is useful here. There’s a bit of wind and a lot of trees protecting the fairways, so if you can keep it underneath the tree line, it’s quite easy; you can take a bit of the wind out, which is nice.”
Three-time champion Bernhard Langer, U.S. Ryder Cup captain and part-time Naples resident Steve Stricker, and Monday qualifier Alex Cejka are all one behind. Cejka made seven birdies in his last 11 holes in a 65, the lowest of the day.
“Everything is wide open, so it just depends who is hot,” said Langer, who rallied from a double-bogey on No. 3 with six birdies and is four off Hale Irwin’s tour record of 45 career victories.
Stricker grabbed the lead with birdies on Nos. 15 and 16, but bogeyed No. 17 and then had to get up and down for par on the par-5 18th.
“This course if you get it going in the right direction, you can really shoot a nice round like Freddie did (a 63 on Friday),” Stricker said. “You’ve got to kind of expect that somebody may do that (Sunday), maybe two or three or four shots back, putting up a good round.”
“I think for the leaders, the guys up around the lead, you’re going to have to play a good round and maybe shoot 5-, 6-, 7-under and see what that does for you.”
Cejka is trying to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA Tour Champions since Doug Barron at the 2019 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.
“I’m just happy to be out here,” Cejka said. “I’ve been waiting many, many years to finally qualify here to this Tour. I’m having fun. It’s a blast. I mean, it’s a great group of guys here, three rounds, no cut, perfect golf courses.”
Karlsson, 51, and Cejka, a 50-year-old from Germany, don’t have the name recognition of Couples, Stricker or Langer.
“It’s enough to worry about my own ball, I’m pretty sure,” Karlsson said. “Look, I’ve done this before. Even though I’m not very well-known in America, I’ve had a few chances in Europe and won a few tournament in Europe, so I know when I get lost in what players around me are doing, it’s very hard.
“So my focus for (Sunday) is just to focus on my own golf ball and to go out and play and enjoy and also take all the pressure off.”
