Defending champion Bernhard Langer of Germany cooled off considerably from his first round but still holds a one-shot lead after 36 holes following a 2-under-par 70 at the Chubb Classic on Saturday in Naples, Fla.
Langer sits at 10 under with a quartet of players chasing him at 9 under, including Steven Alker of New Zealand and Jerry Kelly, who shot 65 and 66, respectively, to vault into contention. Alker’s was the low round of the day.
Steve Stricker (69) and Fred Couples (69) are tied for sixth at 8 under while another quartet of golfers loom three shots back at 7 under.
Seeking his record-tying 45th victory on the Champions Tour, Langer didn’t come close to matching his first-round 64, but his round of four birdies against two bogeys was enough to keep him atop the leaderboard.
“It was tough,” Langer said. “It was the kind of day to hang in there and produce a decent score without making too many mistakes. I did have two dropped shots, I believe, which was painful, but it happens really quick out there because whenever you miss the green, the ball rolls off, and you’re usually into the grain chipping from Bermudagrass into the grain, which is not easy.”
Dicky Pride (70) and Paul Goydos (71) joined Alker and Kelly in the scrum for second place. Kelly jumped 20 spots up the leaderboard while Alker vaulted 26 on the strength of an eight-birdie day, including six on the front nine at Tiburon Golf Club.
“I just tidied up my ball-striking,” Alker said. “Hit a few balls after the round yesterday and wasn’t quite starting the ball on line yesterday, so I got it on target, hitting the shaped shots I wanted. Obviously putted nicely, inside sort of 12, 15 feet, I was very pleased with that part of the game.”
Stricker is seeking his record-tying fourth consecutive win on tour. With a victory on Sunday, he would join Chi Chi Rodriguez (1987) as the only players in Champions Tour history with four consecutive wins.
South Africans Retief Goosen (71) and Ernie Els (72), Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (70) and Olin Browne (70) are within striking distance at T8, three shots back.
Fred Funk (dizziness) withdrew during the second round.
–Field Level Media
