Tag: Phoenix Country Club

Padraig Harrington wins Charles Schwab Cup Championship in record fashion for fourth PGA Tour Champions victory

Harrington tied a 32-year-old record held by Jack Nicklaus and broke a 10-year-old mark of Tom Lehman.

PHOENIX — It was a banner day for Padraig Harrington, who backed up his Saturday 62 with a Sunday 65 to win the 2022 Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Along the way, he broke a 10-year-old mark held by Tom Lehman and tied a 32-year-old record held by Jack Nicklaus.

Harrington won the tournament by seven shots over Alex Cejka and eight over Cup series champion Steven Alker.

Harrington’s 27 under total tied the mark set by Nicklaus in the 1990 Bridgestone Senior Players Championship. His total of 257 breaks Tom Lehman’s mark of 258, recorded at the 2012 Charles Schwab Cup Championship held that year at Desert Mountain Club (Cochise) in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“I didn’t realize that. It’s nice to hold the record with Jack Nicklaus, I believe he’s done it as well. Kind of glad I didn’t beat him,” he said.

Harrington started the final round with a five-shot lead but margin of victory wasn’t a factor in the points race. He only had an outside shot at winning the season-long title because he needed to win and also have Steven Alker finish outside the top five.

Alker, steady all week with scores of 65-64-68-68, finished solo third, more than enough to clinch his first championship.

Harrington’s Sunday was highlighted with a long putt from off the green on the par-3 15th hole.

A huge smile crossed his face after his ball found the cup, which Alker fetched out of the cup for him, and that got him to 26 under. An ensuing birdie on the par-3 16th hole got him to 27 under. He then parred the final hole.

Harrington had one of the only three eagles made the entire week (1st hole Saturday) and he only had two bogeys over 72 holes. His first full season on the Champions circuit also included a major at the U.S. Senior Open and more than $3 million in earnings.

“I’m not a person when I’m on the golf course, I hate watching my opposition and wishing them bad,” Harrington said. “I much prefer a rising tide lifts all ships, so I just didn’t want to get involved in what Steve needed to do and just focused on what I needed to do. I think we both played well the three days we played together and we both played well every day.”

Alker now has a second and a third in two appearances in the finale. Overall, he has five wins and 27 top-10s in his first 33 starts on the tour.

Cejka rode an eagle-birdie-birdie start to slide into second. His eagle on the par-5 opening hole was just the third eagle from the entire field; Thongchai Jaidee eagled the 18th on Friday. Cejka shot 63-65 over the weekend.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, Lee Janzen and Stephen Ames tied for fourth at 16 under. Retief Goosen was solo seventh at 15 under.

Seven days after earning his 44th PGA Tour Champions title, Bernhard Langer finished tied for 17th at 7 under. His 45th win will have to wait until at least January when the 2023 season starts at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii.

A look at the money

For winning the tournament, Harrington earned the first-place prize of $440,000. That brings his season total to $3,293,255.

Alker’s third-place finish is worth $210,000, bringing his 2022 total to $3,564,425. Alker’s career earnings on the senior circuit is now $4,710,632.

But wait, there’s more. Alker will also collect a $1 million bonus for winning the Schwab Cup series title. That will be paid out as a lump sum deposit into a Schwab brokerage account.

  • First place: $1,000,000
  • Second: $500,000
  • Third: $300,000
  • Fourth: $200,000
  • Fifth: $100,000

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Padraig Harrington opens huge lead at Charles Schwab Cup Championship, buys beer for a few fans along the way

Padraig Harrington could win by 10 shots this week in Phoenix and it might not matter.

PHOENIX — Padraig Harrington could win by 10 shots this week and it might not matter.

Harrington, second in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship points race, lit up Phoenix Country Club on Saturday, bombing his way around the 6,860-yard, par-71 course to the tune of a 9-under 62 to take a sizable five-shot lead after 54 holes.

Harrington has put himself in great position to win the tournament but to win the series title, he needs to win and have Alker finish outside the top five.

“Today was a good day. I think I’ve been playing pretty solid all the way through and just waiting for a good day like today,” Harrington said.

Alker was a little more direct with his assessment.

“Padraig kicked my ass today, that’s basically what happened,” he said.

The problem for Harrington, who is at 21 under, is that Alker shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday to get to 16 under, and while he’s still five shots back of the tournament lead, he’s still ahead of everyone but Harrington. In other words, as gaudy as Harrington’s lead is now, the steady Alker is now just 18 holes away from his first series championship.

Harrington jump started his round with an eagle on the first hole, just the second eagle the entire field has produced over 54 holes. Starting the day a shot back of Alker, Harrington quickly had the outright lead.

Birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 helped him get to the turn in 32. On the 11th hole, Harrington made birdie to get to 17 under for a three-shot lead. He then poured in a curling left-to-right putt from about 12 feet to get to 18 under. That birdie on No. 12 was made possible after Harrington converted a ridiculous second shot over some tall trees.

Even a stray tee shot on the 14th hole didn’t faze Harrington. Hitting from the rough off the right side from 111 yards out and just a few feet from the perimeter fence, Harrington stuffed his approach, then made yet another birdie putt to be the first one in the field to get to 20 under for the week.

On 18, Harrington had his fifth eagle putt of the day, this one for a 61, but he missed left. Still, his two-foot birdie gave him a 62, the tournament’s best score of the week. It also got him to 21 under.

“I think I’m better than, you know, I’ve been in past years,” Harrington said. “I’m bold, I do my own thing, which has never been my strength. I’ve always been a better chaser than leader. We’ll go and see tomorrow what happens. I’ve certainly given myself a few options. You know, five ahead, so hopefully I’ll go out there and play well and can wave at the crowds which if it doesn’t happen that way, well, we’ll have to dig deep and find another way of winning.”

Alker’s birdie on 18 capped a bogey-free 68. In fact, he’s bogey-free through 54 holes.

“I’ve got a lot of chasing to do now to win the tournament, but yeah, get a good night’s sleep and we’ll be all right,” he said.

Brian Gay shot a 66 on Saturday and is solo third. He’s six back and not counting himself out just yet.

“[Padraig’s] playing great, obviously. I didn’t really pay much attention to the scores, and then late in the round my caddie said he was 20 so he’s still rolling,” Gay said. “So, you never know, just go out and try to play well and make as many birdies as you can and see what happens.”

For about an hour Saturday, Alex Cejka held the honor of round of the week at Phoenix Country Club after his 8-under 63. He’s in solo fourth at 14 under. Retief Goosen is solo fifth at 13 under after shooting a third-round 68.

Alker and Harrington entered the season finale as the only two golfers who had a shot to claim the Cup.

Beer time

There was a light moment on the 16th hole Saturday. Harrington stepped up to the tee box, but “there was a bunch of guys who were sitting in the corner of the grandstand on 16, and the shadows late in the day were just coming across,” Harrington explained. “They were moving. They wouldn’t know, so I needed them to move, which they’d been sitting there I assume all day waiting for this; I hope they were waiting for me all day. I got them to move.

“They still got a good view, but I did buy them a beer afterwards.”

Langer now a long shot

Bernhard Langer entered the week chasing a different kind of history. A week ago, he won his 44th title on the Champions tour; a 45th would tie Hale Irwin’s all-time Champions mark, set 15 years ago.

After opening 66-69, Langer shot a 1-under 70 Saturday and will start the final round at 8 under, 13 shots back. His record-tying win will have to wait until at least January in the 2023 season opener at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii.

Prize money this week

First place at the Schwab Cup is $440,000. Whoever wins the series title banks a $1 million bonus. In fact, the top five finishers in the final Cup standings will earn a lump sum deposit into a Schwab brokerage account:

  • First place: $1,000,000
  • Second: $500,000
  • Third: $300,000
  • Fourth: $200,000
  • Fifth: $100,000

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Steven Alker and Padraig Harrington, 1-2 in the points race, are 1-2 on the leaderboard at Charles Schwab Cup Championship

Steven Alker and Padraig Harrington are separated by just a shot.

PHOENIX — It should come as no surprise that two of the best players on the PGA Tour Champions in 2022 are dominating the field at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

It should also come as no surprise that the golfer who has taken this tour by storm in the last 15 months has put himself in the driver’s seat to claim his first series title.

Steven Alker, tied for the tour lead with four wins this season, including a major at the Senior PGA Championship, came into the playoffs leading the points race. Padraig Harrington, in his first full season on the tour, is No. 2 in points and has won three times, including a major at the U.S. Senior Open.

Once the computers crunched all the numbers, Alker and Harrington were the only ones mathematically alive who could claim the season title. After the two pre-tournament favorites went shot-for-shot on a sunny Friday afternoon at Phoenix Country Club, it’s Alker and Harrington atop the leaderboard.

Harrington, playing in the third-to-last group in the second round, posted a birdie-birdie finish to shoot a 64, tied for low round of the week. He is at 12 under after 36 holes. For Harrington to claim the Cup, however, he needs to win but he also he needs Alker to finish outside the top five.

That’s starting to look like a long shot.

“Steve is relentless,” Harrington told Golf Channel after his round.

Alker was tied for the lead after 18 holes and after a 7-under 64, he holds the outright lead. Alker opened his round Friday with a pair of birdies, took his first outright lead with another birdie on No. 5. For the next couple hours, he would share the lead with Harrington a couple more times. Birdies on 15 and 17 got him to 13 under for the week so far. Alker has 13 birdies over two days and has yet to bogey a hole.

“I know what I’ve got to do, the numbers are all there. It’s kind of black and white. I just try and put myself in position to win a golf tournament, that’s big for me,” Alker said. “I’ve got to keep hammering those birdies out.”

Alker, a New Zealander who moved to Scottsdale in 2002, has his family following him this week, including his wife Tanya, son Ben and daughter Skye. That rooting section will be down one Saturday as Skye, a member of the Fountain Hills High School cross country team, will be competing in the state championships.

“Go Falcons,” Alker said.

Alker and Harrington are the only two golfers who can win the Cup this week. Even if Harrington wins this tournament, he needs Alker to finish outside the top five.

What about Langer?

Bernhard Langer, the ageless wonder who at 65 won for the 44th time on the Champions tour last week, has posted scores of 66 and 69 and is tied for eighth at 7 under. A 45th win would tie Hale Irwin’s mark set 15 years ago, but he’ll start Saturday’s third round six shots off the pace.

Lots of birdies but just one eagle

The quirky stat of the week after 36 holes: it took until late in the day Friday for the first eagle to be finally recorded.

Thongchai Jaidee rolled in a birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole to give him a second-round 68 and move him into the top 10. It’s the only eagle after 1,188 holes of competition. There have been 284 birdies so far this week.

What’s on the line?

First place this week is good for $440,000. The winner of the Cup race banks a cool $1 million bonus.

In fact, the top five finishers in the Cup standings will earn a lump sum deposit into a Schwab brokerage account:

First place: $1,000,000

Second: $500,000

Third: $300,000

Fourth: $200,000

Fifth: $100,000

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Photos: 2022 Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club

The Schwab Cup is the only 72-hole non-major tournament on the Champions schedule.

The 2022 PGA Tour Champions season comes to a close at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Phoenix Country Club, measures 6,860 yards and plays to a par 71 this week.

Outside of the five majors on the 28-event Champions schedule, the Schwab Cup is the only other 72-hole tournament.

The club was established in 1899 with 75 members and was home to a log-cabin clubhouse, a nine-hole layout and tennis courts. The club moved to a second location a few miles north for a few years and then in 1919, upgraded to its permanent home in central Phoenix.

Check out some photos from the 2022 Charles Schwab Cup Championship, won by Padraig Harrington. Meanwhile, Steven Alker’s third-place finish was enough for him to win the series points title.

John Huston needs just two hours, 17 minutes to shoot a 6-under 65 at Charles Schwab Cup Championship

John Huston’s caddie has seen this act before.

PHOENIX — John Huston’s caddie has seen this act before.

Travis, in his first full year caddying for his dad, laughed when asked about their two-hour, 17-minute first round Thursday in which he posted a 6-under 65.

“He’s well-known for how fast he plays and our whole family is that way, so it’s a good way to be,” Travis said.

There were 36 golfers who qualified for the PGA Tour Champions season finale at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship but only 33 arrived at Phoenix Country Club this week.

Because of the odd number, Huston, who was the last golfer to qualify in the field, went off alone at 10:20 a.m. local time (12:20 p.m. ET). He quickly birdied the first two holes and he was off and running. OK, not quite running but he was quickly making his way around the golf course.

“There’s not that many guys that like to get around, but there’s a few,” John said. “It was pretty nice just to play at my own pace.”

He’s making his first appearance in the Schwab Cup final, something he might not have imagined after undergoing two brain surgeries, the first of which he stayed awake for, in 2015 and 2016.

Huston has a neurological condition called cervical dystonia which causes the neck muscles to contract involuntarily, which in turn can force the head to twist or turn to one side, or tilt forward or backwards. It is also painful.

Huston, 61, said he first started noticing symptoms about 15 years ago but wasn’t diagnosed till he was 52.

“I can’t believe I’m still playing,” he told the PGATour.com. He also had neck fusion surgery in November 2021 and didn’t get his 2022 season going until May. A late-season charge of five top-25 finishes in his last six events put him on a path for Phoenix, where he posted seven birdies in his opening round, including one on the par-5 closing hole. That final putt dropped at 12:37 p.m. local time, just in time for a late lunch.

“The faster he plays, the better I’ve seen him play. I kind of expected him to play pretty good,” Travis said.

Even with his putting, there’s no time wasted.

“He says while he’s walking up to the green he’s already reading it so he already has an idea when he gets there. He doesn’t tend to go around the other side or anything. He just looks from behind and goes. It’s worked pretty good.”

John said it’s not the quickest competitive round he’s ever played.

“I played a round faster than this on the regular Tour, but it was a Sunday get out-of-town round,” he said, proclaiming “I think it was 1:40-something.”

Was a marker made available today?

“They didn’t ask. They probably knew,” Huston said, smiling.

If his scores holds up, he’ll go from the first one out Thursday to playing in the final group Friday.

“Maybe they’ll go the other way and let me play by myself in the last group,” he joked.

Huston will indeed be in the last group, where he’ll play alongside Stephen Ames, who also shot a 65.

Series leader Steven Alker was the last golfer on the course when he made a short par putt to also card a 65, which forged a three-way tie for the lead.

“I’m pleased. One down, three to go, pleased with my start,” Alker said. “The golf course is totally different to the pro-am yesterday with the rain and the wind. Just have to stay patient and just take your birdies when you could.”

Bernard Langer and Padraig Harrington are tied for fourth after shooting 5-under 66s.

“I’m in a good place in the tournament. I’m in a bad place in the Schwab Cup. That’s the way it is,” said Harrington, who is second in the series points race. However, for him to win the Cup championship, he needs to win and he needs Alker to finish outside the top five.

“Steven [Alker] played very nicely today, very steady. Doesn’t look like, you know, he’s going to do much wrong between here and the end of the week going on today, so it would be hard to see him not finishing in the top five.”

Friday’s second round starts at 12:10 p.m. ET with the final group starting at 2:50 p.m. ET.

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A numbers game: At 65, Bernhard Langer can tie PGA Tour Champions win mark of 45 in season finale at Charles Schwab Cup Championship

Just a week after earning win No. 44, Bernhard Langer can claim No. 45.

PHOENIX — Where to even begin with Bernhard Langer.

His age? He turned 65 in August and became the oldest player to win on the PGA Tour Champions at the TimberTech Championship last week.

Shooting his age? Langer has shot or beaten his age six times now. Last week, he shot a 63 in the second round to beat his age by two shots. In 2021, Langer shot a 64 on his 64th birthday and afterward said he was serenaded three separate times by fans singing “Happy Birthday” on that Friday in Michigan.

Champions tour titles? Langer is back at Phoenix Country Club a year removed from claiming his record-setting sixth series championship. That’s four more than Hale Irwin, Tom Watson, Jay Haas, Lauren Roberts and Tom Lehman, all tied for second on the list. He is fifth in the points this time around but has been mathematically eliminated from winning a seventh title.

Career Champions victories? When Langer won last Sunday, he did so in runaway fashion, posting a six-shot rout to get within one of Irwin’s all-time Champions mark of 45.

“It’s amazing. Like last week, I mean, beat his age again,” said Steven Alker, who leads the series points race. “He just keeps going like an energizer, it’s just amazing. And there’s lots to learn from that, too. Just the perseverance, he just keeps going. It was impressive, it really was.”

It was 15 years ago that Langer won his first Champions event, which came about ten months after Irwin won his last.

Does it feel like 15 years already on this tour? “In a way it does and in another way it feels like time flew by, so it’s weird,” Langer said.

He’s won every year on tour and there were only two seasons where Langer only won once. In 2017, he won seven times.

Talk about consistency.

“That is Bernhard Langer to a T,” said Jerry Kelly. “He’s just always going to be there. He’s battled some injuries the last couple years, you know, and he still won the Cup last year. Yeah, it’s beyond words for me.”

Langer won just three times during his PGA Tour career, but two of his wins came with a green jacket, as he won the Masters in 1985 and 1993. Only eight golfers have won the Masters more than he has. In 2020, when they held the Masters in November, Langer became the oldest player to make the cut at Augusta at the age of 63 years, 2 months, 18 days old.

Then there’s the money. Langer has won $65 million in on-course earnings, with $33 million coming on the senior circuit. First place is worth $440,000 at the Schwab Cup finale, an amount that would push him over the $34 million mark.

Set aside the trophies, the money, the accolades. Why is he still playing golf week in and week out?

“It’s the love of the game and competing at the highest level with the best players my age,” he said. It never gets old teeing it up? “Very seldom. No, it doesn’t.”

Langer and Kelly are in the second-to-last group Thursday. They tee off at 2:50 p.m. ET. The final group is Alker and Padraig Harrington, who are Nos. 1-2 in the points. They tee off at 3 p.m. ET.

For Harrington to win the championship, he needs to win the tournament and he needs Alker to finish outside the top five.

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5 things to know ahead of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the PGA Tour Champions 2022 season finale

There will be new champions crowned in 2022, as neither Phil Mickelson nor Bernhard Langer can repeat.

PHOENIX — The 28-event PGA Tour Champions schedule crosses the finish line this week.

But there will be no repeat champions at Phoenix Country Club in 2022.

Just like the PGA Tour, the Champions circuit has a three-event playoff to determine its season champion.

Unlike the PGA Tour, where the winner of the finale at the Tour Championship also stakes claim to the season title, the PGA Tour Champions finale generally produces two winners. In 2021, Phil Mickelson won the 72-hole tournament, while Bernhard Langer earned his sixth Charles Schwab Cup series title.

In 2022, there will be no title defenses. Fan favorite Mickelson won’t be back to the tournament and Langer is too far back in the points to win the series title.

Nonetheless, the stage is set for an exciting week at Phoenix Country Club. Here are five things to watch for this week.

How much money each PGA Tour Champions player earned at the 2021 Charles Schwab Cup Championship

The 2021 Charles Schwab Cup Championship put a cap on the PGA Tour Champions “super” season.

PHOENIX — The 2021 Charles Schwab Cup Championship put a cap on the PGA Tour Champions “super” season.

Phil Mickelson won the season-finale by a shot over Steven Alker. It’s Lefty’s fourth win in six outings on the senior circuit, matching Jack Nicklaus. Mickelson earned $440,000 for the victory at Phoenix Country Club.

Bernhard Langer finished 17th but it was good enough for him to secure the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points title.

Darren Clarke and David Toms finished tied for third at 17 under. Brandt Jobe and Jim Furyk ended up in a tie for fifth.

This was the 20th Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Check out the final payout from the event.

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Phil Mickelson -19 $440,000
2 Steven Alker -18 $250,000
T3 Darren Clarke -17 $192,500
T3 David Toms -17 $192,500
T5 Brandt Jobe -16 $138,125
T5 Jim Furyk -16 $138,125
T7 Paul Goydos -15 $75,000
T7 Miguel Angel Jiménez -15 $75,000
T7 Steve Flesch -15 $75,000
T7 Brett Quigley -5 $227,813
T7 Stephen Ames -5 $227,813
T7 Kirk Triplett -5 $227,813
T13 Doug Barron -13 $53,750
T13 Vijay Singh -13 $53,750
T13 Fred Couples -13 $53,750
T13 Scott Parel -13 $53,750
17 Bernhard La -12 $47,500
T18 Ernie Els -11 $42,500
T18 Alex Cejka -11 $42,500
T20 Retief Goosen -10 $29,375
T20 Woody Austin -10 $29,375
T20 Wes Short, Jr. -10 $29,375
T20 Kenny Perry -10 $29,375
T24 Kevin Sutherland -9 $22,500
T24 Jerry Kelly -9 $22,500
T24 K.J. Choi -9 $22,500
T27 Paul Broadhurst -8 $18,958
T27 Rod Pampling -8 $18,958
T27 Glen Day -8 $18,958
30 Dicky Pride -7 $17,500
31 Colin Montgomerie -5 $16,875
T32 Tim Petrovic -2 $15,937
T32 Mike Weir -2 $15,937
34 Gene Sauers -1 $15,000

In addition to the tournament payouts, the top-five finishers in the season-long points race earn a chunk of money that will be paid out in an annuity.

  • Bernhard Langer, $1 million
  • Jim Furyk, $500,000
  • Miguel Angel Jiménez, $300,000
  • Ernie Els, $200,000
  • Jerry Kelly, $100,000

The annuity is set to pay out over 10 years.

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Phil Mickelson wins Charles Schwab Cup Championship; Bernhard Langer wins season-long points title for sixth time

Phil Mickelson made his return to Arizona a memorable one while Bernhard Langer made history.

PHOENIX — Phil Mickelson made his return to tournament golf in Arizona a memorable one. Bernhard Langer added another chapter to the history books. Jim Furyk kept things interesting right till the end. It all made for an eventful finish to the PGA Tour Champions season.

Playing in his sixth Champions event, Mickelson won for the fourth time after shooting a final-round 65 at Phoenix Country Club to claim the Charles Schwab Cup Championship for the first time.

Mickelson went bogey-free Sunday with birdies on Nos. 1, 7, 11, 15 and 16 before making a clutch par putt on No. 17. Mickelson closed his round with a birdie on the par-5 finishing hole to get to 19 under, completing his rally from a three-shot deficit to win the tournament. He won by a shot over Steven Alker, who birdied the 18th to finish 18 under. It’s Alker’s 10th top-10 finish in 11 tries since he turned 50 and joined the senior tour.

Meanwhile, by virtue of his final-round 69 and solo 17th-place finish, Langer clinched the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points race for a record sixth time. Langer came into the week leading the points, fell behind to Jim Furyk after the second and third rounds but reclaimed the top spot Sunday. Langer competed in all 39 events during the Champions tour’s “super” season, which combined the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

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Furyk shot 65-67-65 in the first three rounds and was looking to cap the week with a couple of firsts. He would’ve been the first Champions tour rookie to win the Schwab Cup points title. He also was attempting to become the first golfer to win the season-long title on the senior circuit after winning the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup, which he did in 2010.

On 18, Furyk stood on the tee box needing an eagle on the par-5 closing hole to get to 18 under and finish solo second. That would’ve been enough to surpass Langer to claim the points race but after driving it in the fairway, Furyk pulled his second into the grandstands down the left side of the fairway.

With Mickelson signing autographs for fans and Langer watching the Golf Channel coverage in the clubhouse, Furyk needed to hole his third shot for eagle to win it but he blasted it well past the hole and watched it nestle in the thick rough off the green. He got up and down for par for a 71 to finish in a tie for fifth with Brandt Jobe.

Darren Clarke made a run up the leaderboard Sunday, closing his round with a birdie on 18 for a 64 to briefly take the clubhouse lead at 17 under. A year ago, after winning the TimberTech Championship, he faced visa issues which kept him from traveling to Phoenix to the Schwab Cup. Clarke finished tied for third with David Toms, who closed with a 65.

Paul Goydos had the round of the day, making a birdie on the last to shoot a 8-under 63 to finish 15 under for the week. The 63 also matches the low round of the week, also shot by Langer on Saturday.

Mickelson will deposit $440,000 into his bank account for the win. Langer claims a $1 million prize to be paid out in an annuity for winning the points.

The 2022 PGA Tour Champions season tees off with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii, Jan. 20-22. The 2022 Charles Schwab Cup Championship will once again be in Phoenix, Nov. 10-13, at Phoenix Country Club.

The combo season also marked the 20th anniversary of the Schwab Cup.

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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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