SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The crammed leaderboard at the U.S. Senior Open has some familiar faces heading into the final round and one notable name nobody expected to challenge for another major.

Good luck predicting what will happen Sunday.

Bernhard Langer and Jeff Maggert shared the lead at 5-under 205 at Del Paso, where conditions cooled off Saturday after consecutive days above 100 degrees. But the competition remained hot, with eight players one shot off the lead, including 65-year-old Tom Watson and defending champion Colin Montgomerie.

“It’s like a horse race,” Watson said. “Getting close to the wire.”

Langer shot a 2-under 68, and Maggert had a 70.

Watson, who was tied with Maggert and Peter Fowler through 36 holes, salvaged a 71 after making a 20-foot par putt on the 18th hole that sent the gallery into a roar. Montgomerie had a 70, and Kenny Perry surged into contention with a 64.

The trio was joined by Fred Funk (68), Grant Waite (69), Scott Dunlap (68), Woody Austin (69) and Jim Carter (70). Fowler shot a 72 and was among six players at 3 under.

“The only way to separate yourself is by playing great golf,” said Langer, who should feel comfortable in this position.

Langer and Montgomerie have combined to win six of the previous seven senior major championships. Maggert had the other victory during that stretch earlier this year at The Tradition, where Perry won in 2014.

“I’m kind of getting sick of seeing them, actually, especially on top of the leaderboard,” Maggert said. “But it does seem to be a pretty constant theme out there.”

The lone contender nobody saw coming is the Hall of Famer who has made a career of winning on golf’s biggest stages.

It’s just been a while.

Watson, an eight-time major champion on the PGA Tour, is decades past his prime. He’s is trying to become the oldest winner of the event, the oldest to win a senior major and the oldest to win on the Champions Tour.

“I don’t know what that will require me to do, but I hope that I’m within a body length of the leader – if there’s a leader out there,” Watson said.

Each leader took a different route through 54 holes.

Nobody more than Perry, who came out of nowhere with six birdies on his front nine – tying a nine-hole event record with a 28 – and before shooting par on his back nine. Perry, who began the day seven shots off the lead, was so far out of contention he started his round on the back nine under the split-tee setup.

“I felt like I was playing a round of golf with my buddies. Just very relaxing, didn’t have much spectators,” Perry said.

Now he’ll try to complete another huge comeback in this championship in front of a crowd.

Perry rallied from 10 strokes behind after 36 holes to win the 2013 U.S. Senior Open in scorching heat at Omaha Country Club. He turned in finals rounds of 64 and 63 for a five-stroke victory.

“I know I did it once. Hopefully, I can do it a second time,” Perry said.

Montgomerie shot 2 under on his front nine before giving it back after the turn. Maggert made three birdies and three bogeys, including on the 18th for a chance to take sole possession of the lead. And Langer looked comfortable again with his usual caddie, Terry Holt, back on the bag for him.

Holt sat out the first two days recovering from a reaction to a spider bite on his leg. Bobby Siravo, a Del Paso member and former professional golfer, caddied for Langer on Thursday and Friday.

Langer’s long putter carried him again, including a 25-foot birdie on No. 13. But his approach on the 18th landed in the long, lush rough below the green, and he missed an 8-foot putt to save par.

Even still, Langer has been as good as anybody on the Champions Tour in this spot.

The 57-year-old German won his second straight Senior Players Championship two weeks ago. And he has won five senior majors, which is tied for fifth most.

Just don’t call him – or anybody – a favorite Sunday.

“You’ve got to try and avoid mistakes and make some putts and hit some incredible shots,” Langer said. “It’s the only way to really separate yourself.”

Canadian Stephen Ames posted a two-over-par 72 in the third round.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Tom Watson still gets quite a thrill seeing his name atop the leaderboard.

Maybe even more at age 65.

Watson withstood the scorching heat to shoot a 1-under 69 on Friday, finishing in a three-way tie atop the bunched leaderboard after the second round of the U.S. Senior Open.

“The illusion that I can still do it,” Watson said when asked what keeps him playing competitive golf. “I don’t have the tools in the toolbox I used to have. They’re missing. Some of the tools are missing. And so it’s getting more and more difficult for me to compete, but I still feel as if I can somehow get it done.”

Sure seems that way so far in Sacramento.

Watson was joined at 5 under for the championship by Jeff Maggert and Peter Fowler. Maggert shot a 65, and Fowler a 66 in their morning rounds.

But all the attention turned to the Hall of Famer heating up in the sizzling sunshine.

Watson made four birdies and three bogeys to provide the drama at sun-drenched Del Paso Country Club, where the temperature soared above 100 degrees again. Watson is trying to become the oldest winner of the event, the oldest to win a senior major and the oldest to win on the Champions Tour.

“To hit a shot under pressure that’s really a good golf shot is why I’m out here,” Watson said. “That’s what I like to do. And when I get to the point where I can’t do it or I can’t do it often enough to really satisfy myself, then I won’t be out here.”

It’s the fourth time Watson has held or shared the lead through 36 holes at the U.S. Senior Open. He has never won the event, which is in its 36th year.

A victory would be the exclamation point to his storied career.

Watson will play in his final British Open next month at St. Andrews. He’s the only man to claim the claret jug on five courses – but never at St. Andrews – and suddenly seems ready to be more than a feel-good story at the Old Course.

If he can sweat out the competition at Del Paso, Watson would be the oldest player to ever win such an event.

Allen Doyle was 57 when he won the U.S. Senior Open in 2006. Jock Hutchison was 62 when he won the Senior PGA Championship in 1947, and Mike Fetchick was 63 when he captured the Hilton Head Seniors Invitational in 1985.

“Not surprising. I don’t know what else to say about it,” said Rocco Mediate, who is at 2 under after a second-round 66. “He’s got very much control of his golf ball.”

Watson will have plenty of competition this weekend. Defending champion Colin Montgomerie (68), Bart Bryan (65) and Jim Carter (69) are all at 4 under, and several others are within striking distance.

The forecast highs are in the low 90s for Saturday and Sunday, with increasing wind. But neither the course nor the conditions have caused Watson much trouble.

In his opening round Thursday, Watson took advantage of the cooler morning conditions to shoot a 66. When he teed off Friday afternoon, the temperature was about 25 degrees warmer with almost no wind and climbed to 102 degrees in the afternoon.

“The heat wasn’t a big deal today. I was hydrated,” Watson said. “We kept in the shade most of the time, as much as we could. We played at a reasonably good pace.”

Watson controlled his irons, consistently found fairways and putted with precision. He birdied all three par 5s – laying up each time – but provided his most-crowd pleasing moment on the par-4 ninth.

Watson’s 20-foot putt stopped on the lip of the cup before falling in. That touched off the loudest roar of the week around the quant clubhouse, though Watson just straightened his shoulders and exhaled.

He stumbled a bit after the turn, with bogeys on the 10th and 13th. He got one shot back with a birdie putt from the fringe on the par-5 15th, raising his right hand in celebration.

Watson also saved par after hitting into the long, lush rough on No. 17, but he bogeyed on the 18th after his 10-foot putt stopped short – giving him something to think about heading into the weekend.

“I still have nerves,” Watson said. “If you don’t have nerves, you’re lying. The guys out here, if you’re playing in this competition, there’s an element of pressure that affects you. But the thing is I played under this type of pressure all my life.”

Stephen Ames posted a round of 71 today to sit T49 heading into the weekend. Canadian amateur Dave Bunker carded a 4-over 74 today but missed the 5-over cutline by two strokes. Also missing the cut was fellow Canadian Rick Gibson who turned in a second round 76.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Tom Watson has accomplished more in golf than most players ever will. The 65-year-old nearly pulled off a feat Thursday even he had never done: shoot his age in a major championship.

So what if it’s the senior tour?

Watson took advantage of cooler morning conditions to shoot a 4-under 66, grabbing a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the sun-banked U.S. Senior Open.

All that prevented Watson from matching his age on the scorecard was a 35-foot putt on his final hole.

“Man, did I want to make that putt. I was grinding on that putt more than any putt in a long time,” Watson said. “Shoot my age in a U.S. Open championship? That would have been pretty special.”

Instead, the putt stopped short and he settled for par – about the only thing that didn’t work out well for Watson over his final nine holes.

With the temperature soaring over 100 degrees in the afternoon, Watson worked through Del Paso Country Club before the scorching heat in California’s capital city intensified. The eight-time major champion overcame an early double bogey and had four birdies in a six-hole stretch after the turn.

“It shows these great old champs are great old champs for a reason,” said Michael Allen, among a group of players who shot 67.

Allen was joined by Lee Janzen, Jeff Hart, Jim Carter, P.H. Horgan and Woody Austin.

Defending champion Colin Montgomerie and Champions Tour stalwart Bernhard Langer, who have won six of the last seven senior majors, teed off in the afternoon heat – and also had to deal with firmer and faster greens. Montgomerie shot 68, and Langer 71.

But this day belonged to one of the most decorated players in golf history, one whose storied career is about to take a major shift.

Watson will play in his final British Open next month at St. Andrews. He’s the only man to claim the claret jug on five courses (but never St. Andrews).

While one chapter of his career is closing, another seems just fine.

Watson is one of the biggest draws on the Champions Tour – when he plays, that is – along with 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples, who withdrew earlier this week with a back injury.

Watson has won 14 times on the Champions Tour, which is reserved for those 50 and older. His last victory came at the 2011 Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky.

Now he’s in position to end that drought.

The lone hiccup on Watson’s opening round came when he plugged his approach on the 16th hole in the gnarly rough along the bank of the lake and finished with a double bogey. Watson recovered with four birdies on his back nine – including a 50-foot putt on the second – to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

As the sun skied over the Central Valley late in Watson’s round, spectators crowded in the shade along the rough instead of the ropes around the green. Some gathered around cooling stations, and others brought umbrellas and tiny electric fans to try to keep cool.

Many players walked out of their way on the rough to stay in what little shade Del Paso provided. Watson, meanwhile, scribbled notes on his yardage book to prepare for his afternoon tee time Friday, when the temperature is expected to rise above 100 again.

“Usually, you have your diagram on your book that says all right, here’s the bunker, here’s the green like this,” Watson said, pointing. “Now you have a diagram, here’s the shade over here, the shade over here, there’s a shade behind the tee over there. That’s what you’re looking for right now.”

CALGARY, Alta. — Many of the greatest names in golf will continue to thrill Calgary sports fans until 2017, thanks to Shaw Communications extending their commitment as title sponsor of the Shaw Charity Classic for two more years.

The award-winning tournament, which has raised record amounts of money for youth-based charities in Alberta, will continue to be played at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club.

“The Shaw Charity Classic has been a tremendous success, both as a must-attend social event in Calgary, but most importantly as a platform to support fantastic charitable organizations across Southern Alberta,” said Brad Shaw, CEO of Shaw Communications. “As we head into our third year, we are proud to be extending our partnership with the Shaw Charity Classic and to continue working with our Champions Tour and Patron Group partners to support the well-being of children and youth in our community.”

The two-year extension was announced during a special visit by PGA TOUR Commissioner, Tim Finchem in Calgary on Wednesday where he delivered a keynote address on the Business of Sport during a Calgary Chamber luncheon.

“The Shaw Charity Classic has clearly established itself as one of the top events we have on this Tour, and I am thankful for Brad and the entire Shaw Communications team for ensuring it continues to give our players the opportunity to play in Canada until 2017,” said Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR. “Thanks to Clay Riddell and all of the patrons along with Brad Shaw and his team at Shaw Communications. This tournament has all the ingredients of an exceptional event: tremendous volunteer support, strong corporate involvement, unprecedented international media coverage, significant promotional presence in the community, a stellar field, and most importantly of all – it raises big money for charities.”

With the leadership of Shaw Communications, the Shaw Charity Classic made an immediate impact when the tournament debuted in 2013. It received an Outstanding Achievement Award for a first year event by the Champions Tour. It became the first Champions Tour tournament outside the United States to win the prestigious “President’s Award” last year for capturing all the intangibles that make it stand out from the rest.

Most notably, the Shaw Charity Classic has celebrated record setting charitable donations in each of its first two years. The tournament originally went into the PGA TOUR history books with a charitable donation of $2,267,251 in its first year and topped that mark in 2014 by raising $2,406,610 for more than 20 youth-based charities in south-Alberta.

“Our goals have always been very clear in bringing this event to Calgary. To provide Calgarians with the opportunity to witness an elite, family-friendly professional sporting event during the summer, but also to raise significant money to support children’s charities in the city and across the province,” said Clay Riddell, tournament chairman and one of five members that make up the Patron Group who financially back the event. “None of this could be done without the commitment from everyone at Shaw Communications who are true leaders in the community. We are grateful to have them alongside us until 2017 to help build on our solid foundation.”

Rocco Mediate ran away with an impressive seven-shot victory to claim the inaugural winner’s cowboy hat. Fred Couples helped tournament officials deliver a memorable encore performance last year when he shot a final-round 61 that included a chip-in eagle on the 54th and final hole to force a playoff with Billy Andrade. Couples got sized up for a traditional white Calgary cowboy hat of his own after winning the first playoff hole.

BELMONT, Mass. – For about 10 minutes on the front nine in the fourth round of the Senior Players Championship, Bernhard Langer was almost in trouble.

The defending champion three-putted on the third hole at the Belmont Country Club – his first bogey in 48 holes – and the eight-stroke lead he had to start the day was down to six. But he eagled the next hole, then coasted to a six-stroke victory in the third Champions Tour major of the year.

“I enjoy playing with a big lead. But you’ve still got to pay attention. It’s not like it’s over,” said Langer, who claimed $405,000 and moved into second on the tour standings. “You just never know what happens. This game is so amazing: It’s brutally tough when things go bad, and enthralling and thrilling when things go right.”

A two-time Masters champion who won five times on the Champions Tour last year, Langer was winless this year before going wire-to-wire to earn his fifth major on the over-50 circuit. He is the first golfer since Arnold Palmer win in 1984 and ’85 to successfully defend his title in the Senior Players.

“It was a magical week,” Langer said. “Obviously, to do something that Arnie did is amazing.”

Kirk Triplett shot 64 – a score that would have been good enough for a course record at the beginning of the week – to finish six strokes back at minus-13. Starting the day 10 strokes back, he birdied six of seven holes around the turn to win the only competitive battle: for second place.

“I thought: `If I make six more birdies, Bernhard’s going to be nervous,'” he joked. “It’s not the first time this guy’s done this. … Most of us didn’t get out of the gate enough to stay with him.”

Senior tour points leader Colin Montgomerie shot 68 on Sunday to finish in a tie for third after spending the morning at Massachusetts General Hospital being checked out for chest pains. Doctors cleared him in time to get him back to the course for a 1:09 p.m. tee time despite a detour or two to get around a closed bridge downtown.

“I blame the British for building the roads,” the 51-year-old Scotsman said. “Bloody awful.”

Montgomerie earned 322 points in the Charles Schwab Cup standings and has 1,616 for the season – 172 more than Langer, who moved up to second. Russ Cochran (69) and Joe Durant (67) were also in the three-way tie for third.

“Best of luck to Bernhard,” Montgomerie said. “One day it will stop – hopefully sooner than later. But he’s amazing, and all credit to him.”

Langer shot matching 65s in the first two rounds at the par-71, 6,812-yard course and then added a 67 on Saturday to open an eight-stroke lead over Cochran heading into the final round. A bogey on No. 3 might have opened the door, just a bit.

But Langer then put his second shot on the par-5 fourth hole about six feet from the pin, and knocked it in for an eagle. The 57-year-old German earned his 24th victory on the Champions Tour, tying him with Miller Barber for fourth all-time.

“Playing next to Bernhard, he’s pretty solid,” Cochran said. “It just proves that if you want to win out here, you’ve got to do all things.”

BELMONT, Mass. – Bernhard Langer has an eight-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Senior Players Championship, and that doesn’t leave much hope for the golfers chasing him.

The defending champion shot a 4-under 67 in the third round on Saturday and is 16 under in the third senior tour major of the year. Langer has never shot worse than 70 in the final round of the Senior Players.

At the Senior British Open last year, he led by eight strokes after 54 holes and won by 13 – the largest margin of victory in Champions Tour history.

“My goal is to shoot under par. And, if I can do that, it will be very difficult for anyone to catch me,” said Langer, who is trying to become the first repeat winner at the event since Arnold Palmer in 1984-85. “I’m eager to put a `W’ behind my name. But I’m not saying I’m there yet.”

Russ Cochran was even for the day and in second place at the 6,812-yard, par-71 Belmont Country Club.

“He’s a heck of a player and you expect him to take care of his business,” said Cochran, who hasn’t won on the Champions Tour since 2013. “I’m hoping to use this as a building block. … You never know, a victory down the line might start right here.”

Scott Verplank shot a 66 in the third round to move into a four-way tie for third with Colin Montgomerie, Jeff Hart and Guy Boros. Billy Andrade started the day at 1 under and birdied three of the first four holes. He eagled the par-4 eighth hole and finished at 6 under, tied for seventh.

“I knew I needed to shoot a couple of 65s and maybe Bernhard would relax over the weekend,” said Andrade, who is from Bristol, Rhode Island. “But he’s playing so good I don’t know if anyone has a chance.”

After matching 65s in the first two rounds, Langer had a pair of birdies on the front nine and two more on the back in his second straight bogey-free round. He is seeking his 24th victory on the Champions Tour, tying him with Miller Barber for fourth on the career list.

His eight-stroke lead after 54 holes is tied for the largest in the tour’s history. He was ahead by eight after three rounds at Royal Porthcawl last year, matching Jack Nicklaus’ lead in the 1991 Senior PGA Championship.

“Whenever you have a lead on a very good field it takes some really good play,” Langer said. “There are some great champions out there.”

Hale Irwin, who turned 70 on June 3, shot 70 on Saturday. It’s the 18th time he has matched or bettered his age on the Champions Tour.

Montgomerie and Boros each threatened Cochran for second place, improving to 8 under before bogeying the 17th hole. When Langer came around to the 501-yard, par-5, he chipped to six feet to set up another birdie.

“We all kind of marvel at his clarity. He stands over it and he performs,” said Cochran, who will be in the final group with Langer again on Sunday. “So that’s what I take from the day: just how he goes about his business and what a great performer he is.”

BELMONT, Mass. – Jesper Parnevik took one look at the tree-lined, hilly Belmont Country Club this week and immediately found a favorite.

“This is very much a Bernhard Langer-type of golf course,” Parnevik said he remembered thinking.

Langer has proved him right, posting a second consecutive 6-under 65 Friday in what he called a “stressless” bogey-free round that gave him a four-shot lead halfway through the Senior Players Championship.

“Somebody said, `That’s pretty boring stuff: 65, 65,'” Langer said after hitting all but one green in regulation. “I don’t think it is. I’d like to do it every day.”

Russ Cochran’s slump-busting 65 left him alone in second, while Steve Pate set a course-record with a bogey-free 63. That put him in a three-way tie for third and six shots back with the weary Lee Janzen and Parnevik, the Champions Tour newcomer who shot 66.

All have plenty to do to catch Langer on the old-school Donald Ross layout hosting this tournament for the first time. Langer took command by sinking a 40-foot putt on 16 for his sixth birdie. His lone hiccup was a three-putt par from just off the 17th green.

“That German engineering,” Parnevik said of Langer. “He never breaks down. He’s tough to beat at a place like this. He’s so systematic.”

Langer is without a victory this year in which he’s been slowed by injuries. But this week he’s looked much like his 2014 self that won this event and four others.

The 57-year-old Langer is nearing a 24th Champions Tour title. He’d also be the first repeat winner of the Senior Players since Arnold Palmer in 1984-85.

And the wiry Langer’s fitness should help this weekend as the over-50 tour deals with another difficult walking course.

“French Lick was very tough, Des Moines was maybe even harder, and even Shoal Creek is a pretty good walk,” Langer said. “I just see it going into the fitness trailer, the physio truck at the end of the day. A couple guys get treated and they all fall asleep.”

Janzen is perhaps the most in need of a nap. He was the medalist in a 36-hole sectional Monday in Purchase, New York, that earned him a spot in next week’s U.S. Open. He sat at 7 under before a bogey-par-par finish left him at 69.

Without the wind from a day earlier and with the temperature in the 80s, the course yielded a record round.

A couple hours after Brad Faxon bested the previous course mark by a shot with a 64, Pate eclipsed him with a bogey-free, eight-birdie round with his distinctive yellow ball.

It was a relief for Pate, who entered the week with a 72.82 scoring average. He shot 73 Thursday.

“I was not doing anything really badly. I just haven’t been doing anything really well,” Pate said after his best Champions Tour round. “It’s a very fine line, and quite a bit of it is between the ears.”

Cochran nearly matched him with a seven-birdie round that broke with what’s been a difficult season that’s left him 35th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

“Where I am with my game, I felt like I needed a good round,” Cochran said.

Colin Montgomerie, who won last month’s Senior PGA Championship for his third major victory in six starts, shot 71 and was nine shots back.

Even with the daunting task of catching Langer, Parnevik was thrilled to be in the hunt in the 81-player field that had no 36-hole cut. Parnevik turned 50 in March.

“I’ve been so injured the last seven years,” Parnevik said. “I’m so happy the body feels OK and I can play again.”

CALGARY — Two of the young guns on the PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour, Lee Janzen and Scott McCarron, will be focused on putting on the champion’s white cowboy hat when they tee it up in the Stampede City for the 2015 Shaw Charity Classic, August 5-9 at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club.

Janzen and McCarron are no strangers to the winner’s circle. They bring 11 PGA TOUR titles with them to Canada, including Janzen’s two majors, where they will look to knock off the top players in the world 50-years old and over.

“One of the most compelling characteristics of the Champions Tour is we continue to welcome new, big names each year, who are still able to play on the PGA TOUR,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic. “This year is no different with another strong rookie class led by Lee and Scott. They still have a lot of game in them, and are great additions to the field.”

Janzen is an eight-time winner on the PGA TOUR including his two U.S. Open titles. Janzen recently qualified to make a return to the U.S. Open in 2015 after a six-year hiatus. A member of two U.S. Ryder Cup Teams, Janzen also won The Players Championship in 1995. After joining the Champions Tour full time this year, he recorded his first victory in February at the ACE Group Classic.

“I have played with pretty much everybody out here on the PGA TOUR so it is like a big fraternity on the Champions Tour,” said Janzen. “But you have to be ready to play. These guys can all still play at a very high level, and are still extremely competitive. We want to play well, and still love to win. Hopefully that happens for me in Calgary.”

Janzen will be joined by Scott McCarron who has three PGA TOUR titles to his credit. The two Champions Tour rookies also share a memorable moment in PGA TOUR history. In August 1999, McCarron made a hole-in-one during the first round of the CVS Charity Classic, which was immediately followed by Janzen on the 17th hole at Rhode Island Country Club. McCarron is no stranger to the hole-in-one history books. His first two came seven holes apart when he was 28 years old, at Alameda Golf Club near Oakland. He made his first ace on the fourth hole, before chalking up another hole-in-one on the 11th.

“Scott McCarron’s name is synonymous with the hole-in-one club, and I think it is fitting we are having him with us this year in Calgary with the tournament running a big contest to recognize all new Canadians to the hole-in-one club in 2015,” added Van Kesteren. “The Shaw Charity Classic is giving one lucky fan who records a hole-in-one – and three friends – the chance to feel like a professional golfer and play with the pros for a day. It will be a contest that will run throughout the summer until tournament week, and hopefully that winner will have a chance to play, or at least meet, Mr. Hole-in-One, Scott McCarron.”

Any Canadian golfers who record a hole-in-one during the 2015 contest period must register through the tournament web site at www.shawcharityclassic.com for a chance to win the grand prize. All new members of the club will be invited to participate in a qualification closest-to-the-pin contest in July 24. The top-10 closest to the pin winners will then be invited to media day at Canyon Meadows, July 29, where the winner will be determined.

The hole-in-one must be attested by the golf facility’s general manager, chief operating officer, club president, head professional or director of golf. Participants between the ages of 13 and 18 must also have parental consent. The Shaw Charity Classic will aim to profile each hole-in-one on its social media platforms.

Some of the greatest names in the game will play for a purse of $2.35 million, an increase of $100,000, when they return to Calgary’s Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club from August 5-9. Tickets and corporate packages for the Shaw Charity Classic are available online at www.shawcharityclassic.com. Youth 17 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.

BELMONT, Mass. – Bernhard Langer wasn’t sure what to expect from unfamiliar confines on Thursday, but that didn’t keep him from making history.

The two-time Masters champion shot four birdies on the final five holes to tie a course record with a 6-under-par 65 in the first round of the Senior Players Championship.

“I was watching the leaderboards and I saw a bunch of 3 and 4 unders so I figured that must be doable,” said Langer, who was playing the par-71, 6,855-yard course at Belmont Country Club for the first time.

Afternoon wind gusts made for difficult playing conditions on an otherwise pleasant day, but that didn’t seem to bother Langer.

Langer bogeyed twice on his first nine holes, but still carded a 2-under 34 at the halfway point. After opening the back nine with four straight pars, Langer charged up the leaderboard with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 and finished with two more on Nos. 17 and 18.

It wasn’t until the 17th hole that Langer took sole possession of the lead. On the par-4 18th, his tee shot landed in the rough, but a hard wedge swing placed the ball three yards from the hole for an easy putt.

A victory this weekend in Belmont would give Langer his second consecutive Senior Players title, something no golfer has done since Arnold Palmer in 1984-85.

“It’s still early in the week so I’m just trying to not shoot myself in the foot and be in contention,” said Langer.

Guy Boros, Lee Janzen, and Rocco Mediate finished the round in a three-way tie for second at 4-under 67.

Boros, whose father Julius won the 1963 U.S. Open at The Country Club in nearby Brookline, birdied three of his final six holes to put himself in contention.

“I didn’t hit it great,” Boros said. “I putted pretty well, so I made a lot of good par putts and I two-putted twice for birdie. I hit some good, some bad, so it was kind of all over the place.”

Janzen, a two-time U.S. Open champion who qualified for the tournament again on Monday, birdied five of his first nine holes while Mediate, best known for his second-place finish after a battle with Tiger Woods in the 2008 U.S. Open, began the day with three birdies on his first four.

“Golf course is fantastic,” Mediate said. “It just keeps you on your toes really. I missed a few fairways today by feet, a couple of feet and it was nasty.”

Charles Schwab Cup points leader Colin Montgomerie is three shots off the lead, and tied for fifth at 3-under-par 68.

“I’m not quite comfortable yet,” Montgomerie said. “You play defense a wee bit around here and you’ve got to position your ball and it’s playing chess the with course sort of thing.”

The Senior Players is the third of four Champions Tour majors and the 12th of 25 events the season, marking the tour’s unofficial halfway point.

A winner’s share of $405,000 of the $2.7 million purse and 810 points in the Charles Schawb Cup will be awarded to the champion.