BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Kevin Sutherland and Jeff Maggert both looked as if they were finishing off just another round.

The businesslike Sutherland and Maggert each eagled the par-5 11th hole Friday and shared the second-round lead in the Regions Tradition at 10 under.

Sutherland shot a 6-under 66 at Shoal Creek to catch up to Maggert, the opening-round leader in the first of the Champions Tour’s five majors. Maggert birdied the final two holes for his second straight 67.

Neither player showed much emotion after hitting their final shots and both said their mindset doesn’t change with the lead or without it. It’s probably wise because no 36-hole leader has won the Tradition since Tom Watson in 2003.

“It’s the same as it was the first two days: Get the ball on the fairway and see what happens from there,” Sutherland said. “That’s what you need to do here, and I’ve done it the last two days. And also just kind of have fun and enjoy the moment.”

Maggert’s approach: “The leaderboard doesn’t really come into play until maybe the back nine on Sundays, so just keep playing hard and making birdies.”

Michael Allen was three strokes back after a 67, and defending champion Kenny Perry had a 69 to join Bernhard Langer and Fred Funk at 5 under. Langer shot 66, and Funk 69.

Sutherland is seeking his first Champions Tour victory. He tied for second in Mississippi in March.

Maggert won the Mississippi event last year for his lone title on the 50-and-over tour.

Maggert rallied from bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5, then had a strong finish. His tee shot into the bunker on the final hole ended up serving him well.

“To be honest with you, it was the best angle to shoot at that flag,” Maggert said. “I had a good lie in the bunker so actually a bad drive turned out to be a good one there. I was able to be a little bit more aggressive and shoot toward the flag.”

He set up the eagle with a hybrid approach from 220 yards that settled 8 feet past the hole. Sutherland’s 233-yard hybrid shot was even closer.

“I wasn’t really trying to hit it at the pin,” Sutherland said. “I was just trying to hit it toward the middle of the green. I overcut it a little bit and when it was rolling it banged the pin. It literally was less than two inches from the hole. It landed over the bunker and the next thing I know, the ball came to an abrupt stop.”

Allen birdied the final two holes. On the last, his 50-foot putt hovered so long on the hole that he took several steps toward it before it plopped in.

“I thought it was hanging on the back of the hole, but (caddie Pete Bender) said he blew really hard,” Allen said. “He said he blew the ball in the hole. It’s kind of nice, because so many times you hit good putts that don’t go in. It’s nice to hit a long putt like that. You’re just trying to get close. I was happy to two-putt. To have it go in is a nice bonus, a great way to finish the day.

Langer rebounded from an opening 73 with a 31 on the first nine holes. He had a run of three straight birdies end on No. 11. The two-time Masters champion is coming off a closing 75 and a 21st-place finish at the Insperity Invitational in Texas.

Two-time winner Tom Lehman matched Langer and Sutherland’s tournament-low round of 66, 10 shots better than his opener. He was 2 under.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jeff Maggert experienced the potential ups and downs of Shoal Creek during a round that was still good enough to put him on top.

Maggert birdied three of the final four holes Thursday for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Kevin Sutherland at the Regions Tradition.

He held onto the lead at the first of the Champions Tour’s five majors despite a bogey on No. 18. He said a hot start is nice, but patience will be important the rest of the week on a course where Kenny Perry won at 7 under last year.

“The difficulty of the course, you don’t have to come out and tear it up for four days,” Maggert said. “You know there’s going to be some rough times on the course. Just the history of the tournament here, I think 10 to 15 under’s probably a typical range you would like to be in on Sunday.

“A few more 5 unders would help a lot in that regard.”

Maggert is seeking his second win on the 50-and-over tour after a victory in Mississippi last year. Sutherland is chasing his first senior title.

Maggert had five birdies on the first nine holes before the roller-coaster finish. He had three bogeys and three birdies on the back nine, but did make a 20-footer for birdie from the fringe on No. 16.

Tom Watson, Colin Montgomerie and Wes Short Jr. were two strokes back at 69.

Sutherland had six birdies and two bogeys before parring the final five holes. It’s his first time playing Shoal Creek since the U.S. Amateur in 1986 and, he said, “I didn’t remember much except for the fact that I did like it.”

“Any time you make six birdies, I don’t care where you’re playing, that’s a good day,” said Sutherland, who made a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 9.

Sutherland’s biggest claim to fame was shooting the Champions Tour’s first 59 last August in Endicott, New York.

“Kevin’s been playing pretty good this year so it’s not surprising that he had a good round,” Maggert said. “But it’s a ball-striker’s course. You can’t just aim for the middle of the green and shoot a good score.

“You’ve got to pay attention to where the pins are on the greens.”

The 65-year-old Watson had to chip out of the bunker below the green on the final hole, saving par with a 12-footer.

“It makes dinner taste a lot better, it always does,” he said. “I made a stupid decision on 18 to go for the flag there. It’s not a flag that you go at. You go left of the flag, get your two putts out of there and get out of there with a par.

“I did a pretty stupid shot right there. I was trying to go right at it. Ego got involved again.”

Then again, he made a 50-foot putt for birdie on No. 4, “so that’s like stealing.” It’s Watson’s best opening round at the tournament since 2009, when he also had a 67 at Sunriver Resort in Oregon. He finished in a three-way tie for fifth.

Montgomerie had a closing birdie. Short finished with a bogey with a chance to catch up to Sutherland and perhaps Maggert. Short had two straight birdies going into 18.

Perry and David Frost, who both have won this tournament since it moved to Shoal Creek in 2011, were among nine players at 2 under.

Tom Lehman, who won in 2011 and 2012, opened with a 76. Points leader Joe Durant was three shots better at 73.

Canada’s Rod Spittle opened with a 74 and had a share of 43rd.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Ian Woosnam made a 30-foot birdie putt in a playoff Sunday to win the Insperity Invitational for his first Champions Tour title.

Woosnam, the 57-year-old Welshman playing on a sponsor exemption, beat Kenny Perry and Tom Lehman on the first extra hole at The Woodlands Country Club. The 1991 Masters champion was making his 36th start on the 50-and-over tour.

Woosnam closed with a 4-under 68 to match Perry and Lehman at 11-under 205. Perry finished with a 66, and Lehman shot 69.

In the playoff, Lehman sliced his approach on the par-4 18th into the water, and Perry left a long birdie try 8 feet short before Woosnam rolled in the winner.

Woosnam earned $307,500. Last week in Missouri, he teamed with Sandy Lyle to tie for second in the Legends of Golf. Woosnam won 29 times on the European Tour, captained Europe’s winning 2006 Ryder Cup team and has five victories on the European Senior Tour.

Second-round leader Michael Allen shot a 72 to finish a stroke back along with Joe Durant (71).

Canadian Stephen Ames finished 7-under 209 for a share of 9th place.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Michael Allen birdied the final two holes for a 4-under 68 and a one-stroke lead Saturday after the second round of the Champions Tour’s Insperity Invitational.

The 56-year-old Allen had a 10-under 134 total at The Woodlands Country Club. He has seven victories on the 50-and-over tour, winning twice last season.

“If you haven’t won for a while, it just seems like you’re never going to do it again,” Allen said. “To win again tomorrow would be really important to me. I love playing here. I think they’ve had a lot of great champions. I would love to be a part of it.”

Joe Durant was second after a 68. He had a double bogey in the par-4 17th and rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 18th. Last week, he teamed with Billy Andrade to win the Legends of Golf in Missouri for his first Champions Tour title.

Durant wanted to quickly put the double bogey behind him.

“I just blanked out for a minute on 17,” Durant said. “As a result, I hit it in the water and made double. Came back with a nice birdie on 18. I hit a bad shot on 17, but so what? You’re going to hit bad shots from time to time.”

Scott Dunlap, Woody Austin and Tom Lehman were 8 under. Dunlap had a 65, the best round of the day. Austin and Lehman shot 66.

“I didn’t hit the ball super great,” Lehman said. “In fact, I hit the ball much better yesterday. I seemed to always manage to get it in the right places and shot a good score.”

Defending champion Bernhard Langer was 7 under after a 66. Marco Dawson, tied for the first-round lead with Allen after a 66, had a 72 to drop into a tie for 10th at 6 under.

Canada’s Stephen Ames slipped slightly Saturday after a 71. He’s now tied for 18th at 4-under.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Marco Dawson and Michael Allen each shot 6-under 66 on Friday to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Insperity Invitational.

The 51-year-old Dawson had seven birdies and a bogey at The Woodlands Country Club. He won the Conquistadores Classic in March in Tucson, Arizona, for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour.

“I don’t know that I feel any different as far as playing,” Dawson said. “I don’t take any more chances than I used to before I won. That was then. This is just a new week. You still have to play, make the putts.”

The 56-year-old Allen also had seven birdies and a bogey. He won twice last season.

“When you’re kind of making some putts or you feel at least good with the putter, you kind of feel like you can give yourself a chance,” Allen said. “You don’t have to be knocking down every pin to do it.”

Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Woodlands resident Jeff Maggert shot 67, and Steve Pate and Billy Andrade followed at 68. Durant and Andrade teamed to win the Legends of Golf last week in Missouri.

“You just want to have a chance to win going into the last nine,” Durant said. “Got close a couple of times. We didn’t quite close the deal. Playing last week and winning with Billy certainly helps a lot.”

Canada’s Stephen Ames opened with a 69 and is tied for 8th after 18 holes.

Defending champion Bernhard Langer opened with a 71.

Fred Couples, second last year, withdrew from the tournament.

RIDGEDALE, Mo. – Joe Durant had a hole-in-one and teamed with Billy Andrade to win the Champions Tour’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf on Sunday at Big Cedar Lodge.

Andrade and Durant closed with a 9-under 45 at the par-3 Top of the Rock course, playing nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine of better ball. Durant aced the third hole on the second nine, using a 7-iron on the 167-yard hole.

“You don’t know when those are coming,” Durant said. “I just hit a good solid shot. I was just trying to hit it right of the flag … and it just happened to go in the hole. You’ve still got to keep going. You’ve got to regroup after something like that. We stepped up the last five holes and did what we needed to do. I couldn’t have a better partner. I was so excited to win with my buddy. It feels really good.”

Durant and Andrade finished at 19-under 159 in the 54-hole event, opening Thursday with a better-ball 63 on Buffalo Ridge’s regulation Springs course and shooting a 51 on Saturday in high wind on the par-3 course. They each earned $230,000 for their first victories on the 50-and-older tour.

“It was an unbelievable week,” Andrade said. “We ham and egged it very, very nicely and Joe hit some beautiful shots today. The hole-in-one was fantastic. I can’t be more excited to be in a situation to win out here because this is what we want to do. This is our goal, to try to get in the winner’s circle, and to do it like this and do it with Joe has been such a treat for me.”

Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam tied for second, three strokes back after a 51. The former Masters champions took a two-stroke lead into the final round.

Moments after Durant’s ace, Mike Reid had a hole-in-one on the eighth hole. He used a 4-iron on the 194-yard hole. Reid and Dan Forsman tied for 10th at 13 under.

Larry Nelson and Larry Fleisher won the Legends Division for players 65 and older, beating Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player by two strokes.

Nelson and Fleisher birdied the final hole for a 1-under 26 for nine holes of better ball on the par-3 course. They finished at 12 under in the 45-hole event.

“We played really well,” Nelson said. “Yesterday was just a miserable day to play golf. I mean, it was windy, gusting. Sometimes I couldn’t stand up hardly. It was amazing how hard the wind blew and for us to hold it together there. And today was just kind of a fun walk around nine holes and not trying to hurt ourselves.”

Nicklaus and Player had two birdies in a bogey-free 25.

“It was a very exciting week, a very different format,” Player said. “I think golf needs more of this.”

RIDGEDALE, Mo. – Boyhood rivals Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle took a two-stroke lead Saturday in the Champions Tour’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge.

Woosnam and Lyle shot a 6-under 64 in better-play play on Buffalo Ridge’s regulation Springs course to reach 13 under. On Thursday, they had the best score at the par-3 Top of the Rock course, a 7-under 47 for nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine holes of better ball. Play will close Sunday on the par-3 course with nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine of better ball.

Woosnam and Lyle grew up about 20 miles apart, with Lyle in Scotland and Woosnam in Wales. They birdied five of the last six holes in windy conditions.

“I think I played very little part in it today, sad to say,” Lyle said. “But Woosie’s play was a huge rock. He always looked like he got the ball under control. And the few times that he was just slightly out, I managed to come in with a few pars, and then I birdied 17 at a good time when we were needing a bit of a boost. So, a strong finish made all the difference to the round.”

Former Ohio State teammates John Cook and Joey Sindelar were tied for second with Corey Pavin and Duffy Waldforf. Cook and Sindelar, the first-round leaders after a 60 on the regulation course, had a 53 on the par-3 layout. Pavin and Waldorf shot a 53 on the par-3 course.

“It gets looking ugly in a hurry and you can see by the scores,” Sindelar said. “I mean, it’s just tough to do. The wind, this much wind, it starts affecting the putts.”

In the Legends Division for players 65 and older, Larry Nelson and Larry Fleisher had a four-stroke lead at 11 under. They had a 66 at Buffalo Springs after opening with a 47 on the par-3 course.

“I thought it was a very difficult day,” Fleisher said. “The wind really played havoc. The golf course the way they had it for us was very, very short and it was almost – almost played against us because we’re going with the short irons and, with all this wind, it’s hard to control the spin.

“But Larry and I kind of dodged each other and got through it.”

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were tied for second with Butch Baird and Al Geiberger. Nicklaus and Player had a 66 on the regulation course, and Baird and Geiberger shot a 49 on the par-3 course.

The Legends Division will close Sunday with nine holes of better ball on the par-3 course.

RIDGEDALE, Mo. –  Former college teammates John Cook and Joey Sindelar shot a 10-under 60 in better-ball play Friday to take the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf.

“It’s pretty special to remain friends for over 30 years after we’ve been done, 35 years actually,” Cook said. “So, it’s a great partnership. We’ve had a nice run in this event, chance to win a couple of times and it’s good to see him healthy and back. I’m happy to be back out playing. I feel like I haven’t played hardly at all this year. We kind of pulled each other along and going to enjoy the next couple days.”

Cook and Sindelar birdied the final four holes on Buffalo Ridge’s regulation Springs course in the round that was delayed an hour at the start because of rain.

“To watch the rain that happened and then one hour later be on them and the ball is going forward as it hits on the greens and the putting was fantastic,” Sindelar said. “Whether you made them or not, it wasn’t the greens, they were magnificent. … These greens held up so beautifully.”

The teams of Jay Don Blake-David Frost and Mark Brooks-John Huston were tied for second. They also opened at Buffalo Ridge.

Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle had the best score at the par-3 Top of the Rock course, a 7-under 47 for nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine holes of better ball.

“I quite enjoyed that format and it worked well for us,” Lyle said. “We made some birdies and birdied some of the hard holes as well, which is always a little bonus.”

They grew up near each other, with Lyle in Scotland and Woosnam in Wales.

“We’ve known each other since we were about 12,” Woosnam said. “We only lived 20 miles from each other and we’ve been playing basically in the same competitions since 12 years of age.”

Larry Nelson and Larry Fleisher led the Legends Division for players 65 and older, shooting a 47 on the par-3 course. John Bland and Graham Marsh were second after a 66 at Buffalo Ridge.

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were tied for third at 3 under after a 51 on the Nicklaus-designed par-3 layout.

“I think both Gary and I hit the ball reasonably well,” the 75-year-old Nicklaus said. “We did what we had to do. We didn’t make too many mistakes. We did three-putt a hole on the front nine, first nine we played, but we hit a lot of good shots.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Quebec Championship has been dropped from the Champions Tour schedule. The event was scheduled for Sept. 4-6.

The PGA Tour announced the decision Friday, saying tournament organizers recently informed the Champions Tour they were unable to adequately fund a full-field event this year following financial difficulties last season during the inaugural tournament.

Wes Short Jr. won in September at La Tempete Golf Club in Quebec City. The tournament was the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in the area since the 1956 Labatt Open at Royal Quebec.

DULUTH, Ga. – Relentless rain denied Olin Browne a chance to play the final round with Bernhard Langer. Then again, it gave Browne his first Champions Tour victory in four years.

Browne won the Greater Gwinnett Championship after rain washed out Sunday’s final round. He finished Saturday’s second round with a one-shot lead over Langer, the 2013 winner. Langer has one win and two second-place finishes in the tournament’s three years.

“I was going to really enjoy playing with him,” Browne said before pausing to gaze at the crystal trophy. “Having said that, I don’t mind having that big sugar jar sitting with my name on it.”

This is the first Champions Tour event to be shortened to 36 holes since the 2011 Insperity Championship in Houston. Browne finished fourth at that tournament, which was won by Brad Faxon.

“I was on the other side of (the cancellation) and I was hot about that,” Browne said. “So they say things even out. Maybe it evened out my way this time.”

The 55-year-old Browne set the tournament record with a second-round 64 to take the lead at 12 under. He then watched as Langer matched the record to move into second place.

Rain forced Friday’s first round to be suspended and completed early Saturday. There was light rain, but no delays, in Saturday’s second round, followed by more downpours Saturday night and Sunday morning.

“We all knew this was coming and it’s really miraculous we got in 36 holes,” Browne said. “It’s springtime in the South. There’s a reason you have those beautiful flowers out here. It’s not springtime in the desert.”

Rocco Mediate, the leader until his double bogey on No. 11 on Saturday, was third at 9 under. Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez tied for 10th at 5 under. First-round leader Tommy Armour III tied for eighth at 6 under.

The soft greens set up Saturday’s low scores.

“The rain made the fairways a nightmare, a quagmire, but they also softened the greens considerably, so the greens were a lot more receptive than they’ve been in the past,” Browne said.

Brian Claar, the tour’s vice president of competition, said the course was “absolutely saturated” after almost an inch of rain Saturday night.

“There was no way we could play today,” Claar said. “We lost the golf course. The greens we could squeegee but the fairways, there was no place to play. … There was nothing we could do, and more rain is right on the doorstep again.”

The Atlanta area was in a flash flood and tornado watch Sunday.

Browne’s only other career win on the tour came in the 2011 U.S. Senior Open. He has enjoyed a strong start to 2015, with four top-10 finishes in six events. With the win he moved from 11th to first in the points standings.

“I’ve made a commitment this year to try to play better more often. … I guess you get a little more perspective as your career begins to wind down,” he said.

A pair of Canadians finished within the top-10 as Stephen Ames tied for 4th at 7-under, while Rod Spittle tied for 8th at 6-under.