Olin Browne leads Champion Tour’s Greater Gwinnett
DULUTH, Ga. – Olin Browne shot a tournament-record 8-under 64 to take the Greater Gwinnett Championship lead Saturday, to hold a slight lead over Bernhard Langer.
Langer matched the 64 to finish the second round only one shot behind Browne in the Champions Tour event.
Langer made a 30-foot eagle putt on No. 18 for his 64 – just as Browne predicted as he watched from the side.
“He is a public peril,” Browne said, referring to Langer’s sometimes dominant play.
Langer is especially strong at TPC Sugarloaf. He won the tournament in 2013 and finished second last year, making shots like his eagle putt.
“That’s what you expect out of him,” Browne said. “It’s no accident. He didn’t win two Masters by accident. … He’s our marquee guy out here and he shows up every single week and there’s one thing that he cares about doing and that’s winning the tournament.”
The 57-year-old Langer is seeking his 24th career win on the 50-and-over tour, which would move him into a tie for fourth with Miller Barber, behind Gil Morgan (25), Lee Trevino (29) and Hale Irwin (45).
The 55-year-old Browne was at 12 under. Browne’s big advantage could be the weather. Sunday’s final round is threatened by a forecast for rain and possible thunderstorms. Rain already pushed back the completion of Friday’s first round to early Saturday.
“You would rather be one in front than one behind sitting on a chair hoping to get to play,” Browne said.
“I played today like we weren’t going to get to play tomorrow. … Hopefully, we do get to play tomorrow. I mean, it’s going to mean a lot more tomorrow if I go out there and hold the lead.”
Browne’s white shoes were streaked with red mud by the end of his day at soggy TPC Sugarloaf.
Rocco Mediate, who lost the lead with a double bogey on No. 11, was third at 9 under after a 67.
Mediate led before an errant tee shot on the par-3 No. 11 led to a double bogey. While preparing for the tee shot, Mediate made a late change to a 4 iron and then mishit his shot into a lake, not even close to the green.
“I probably quit on it a little bit obviously thinking it might be too much,” Mediate said of his club selection.
Mediate said his strategy throughout the day was affected by the possibility there may be no final round.
“Oh yeah, I was thinking that all day,” Mediate said. “I think all of us were. Getting off to that start I was right where I wanted to be.”
Browne took the lead with Mediate’s double bogey. Minutes later, Browne stretched the lead to two strokes with a birdie on No. 13.
First-round leader Tommy Armour III was 6 under after a 71.
Browne’s only win on the tour was the 2011 U.S. Senior Open. He already has three top-10 finishes this year and closed Saturday’s round with birdies on 17 and 18.
“It’s a good start for my year regardless of what happens (Sunday), so I’m looking forward to the rest of the season for sure,” he said.
Jesper Parnevik shot 69 and was tied for fourth at 7 under with Mark O’Meara (69), Stephen Ames (67) and Tom Pernice Jr. (68).
Another Canadian sat withing the top-10, as Rod Spittle had a share of 8th at 6-under.
Mark Calcavecchia withdrew due to an illness following his first-round 77.
Woosnam shares lead in rain-delayed Greater Gwinnett
DULUTH, Ga. – Ian Woosnam was tied for the lead at 4 under with five holes left Friday when first-round play in the Champions Tour’s Greater Gwinnett Championship was suspended because of rain.
The round was scheduled to be completed Saturday morning at TPC Sugarloaf, followed by the second round. There is more rain in the forecast Saturday and Sunday.
Woosnam, playing in the event for the first time, was tied with Tommy Armour III, Joey Sindelar, Gary Hallberg and Olin Browne. Armour and Hallberg had four holes left, Sindelar three and Browne six.
Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez was even par through 11 holes.
Jimenez had a streak of 40 consecutive holes without a bogey at TPC Sugarloaf – including his final 32 holes in last year’s win – end on his ninth hole. Jimenez, trying to reach the green with his second shot on the par-5 18th, instead found water, leading to his bogey.
Bernhard Langer, second last year after winning the inaugural tournament in 2013, was 1 under through 12.
Only one group completed the first round, with Tom Byrum the clubhouse leader at 3-under 69.
Water was standing on the greens when play was halted. When play was stopped, the plan was to clear the greens and then continue the round. Continued rain changed the plan.
“The fairways were just unplayable and water was standing on the greens, so it’s just so wet,” Hallberg said, adding he wasn’t prepared for the conditions.
“I’ve got this old golf bag that I’ve been using and the water just soaks right into it, so it’s not a good rain bag,” Hallberg said. “And I’m not dressed for it. I don’t have rain pants, I left everything at home.”
Hallberg said he assumed “Going to Atlanta, it’s going to be nice. That was a mistake.”
Those with a long history on the course, the former home of The PGA Tour’s BellSouth Classic, know rain is a common factor.
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Woosnam asked. “I’ve been here so many times and it’s rained nearly every time. One year it snowed. … Quite incredible, unfortunate this place has been with the weather.”
The 57-year-old Woosnam, the 1991 Masters winner, tied for 53rd and 60th in his first two events on the 50-and-over tour this year.
“I’m just trying to sort of like build myself into it,” Woosnam said of his early status as a contender this week. “We’re still working on my swing a little bit. One minute I get it and next I lose it a little bit.”
Woosnam and Hallberg are playing on sponsor exemptions.
Hallberg’s only Champions Tour win came in the 2010 Ensure Classic. He had two top-10 finishes last year.
“This is really my first tournament I feel 100 percent,” Hallberg said. “I feel good.”
Woosnam was bracing for an unusually early start of play on Saturday – and an early bedtime on Friday night.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ve never been to bed so early in America,” Woosnam said.
“Eat at 6 and you’re in bed at 8,” he said before adding with a laugh “You know, we just usually start the party up at 8.”
Stephen Ames led the Canadian contingent, sitting T6 at 3-under through 14 holes. Rod Spittle is 1-over through 14 while Jim Rutledge shot 4-over through a dozen holes.
Shaw Charity Classic kicks off with an ace opportunity
CALGARY – The Shaw Charity Classic is giving one lucky fan – and three friends – the chance to feel like a professional golfer for a day.
The Champions Tour event in Calgary has launched a unique, three-stage contest for any Canadian resident that scores a hole-in-one at a Golf Canada Member Club across the country between March 1 and July 20, 2015.
Individuals who record a hole-in-one on a hole 85 yards or longer during a 9 or 18-hole round of golf will be invited to a qualification event at Calgary’s Golf Canada Centre, July 24, 2015. Each member of the hole-in-one club will have one attempt in a closest-to-the-pin contest. The 10 closest shots will then be invited to Media Day at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, the host course of the Shaw Charity Classic, on July 29, 2015 where they will compete head-to-head in another closest-to-the-pin contest for the Grand Prize of one full Pro-Am Team. Balls finishing off the green will be ignored even if they are closest to the hole. Entrants will be responsible for all their costs for attending and playing golf on the day of the qualifiers.
“Anyone who ever plays golf realizes getting a hole-in-one earns you a spot in a very exclusive club, and we want to celebrate these accomplishments by giving Canadians who achieve the feat the opportunity to win the ultimate golf experience and play with the greatest names in the game,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic. “It is our goal to recognize, and celebrate, each hole-in-one this summer and bring this exclusive club together in Calgary for a final showdown to win the chance to feel like a Champions Tour professional for a day at the Shaw Charity Classic in August.”
The winner of the top-10 shootout on Media Day will receive one RBC Championship Pro-Am team on Wednesday, August 5 – a prize value of $20,000. Second place will receive two weekly tickets to the Champions Club for all tournament rounds, along with one TaylorMade putter and one dozen TaylorMade golf balls. The third-place finisher will win two weekly tickets to the Champions Club.
Individuals who record a hole-in-one during the 2015 contest period must register through the tournament web site at www.shawcharityclassic.com. 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.
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.
David Frost wins Champions Tour event in Mississippi
SAUCIER, Miss. – David Frost survived a one-stroke penalty on the par-3 17th and won the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic on Sunday when Tom Lehman missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the last hole.
The 55-year-old South African finished with a 4-under 68 at Fallen Oak for a one-stroke victory over 2011 winner Lehman and second-round leader Kevin Sutherland.
Frost was penalized after the coin marking his ball on the green moved when he accidentally dropped the ball on it. That left him with a bogey and cut his lead to a stroke.
“I marked the ball and as I picked it up, the ball just kind of slipped out of my hand, hit the coin and moved it,” Frost said. “I knew exactly where it was and I just moved it back and didn’t think there was a penalty at all because I knew exactly where it was.
“There is some kind of rule that says in the act of marking the ball if you drop your coin. They told me I dropped the ball, which is an act of negligence and had to incur a one-stroke penalty. I was like, `You’ve got to be kidding me. Last year disqualified and this year a one-shot penalty.’
“It was frustrating. You play by the rules and luckily for me in the end it didn’t make any different and I’m happy Lehman didn’t beat me in a playoff.”
Frost, disqualified last year for moving a stone in a bunker, made a testy-5-footer for par on the final hole to get to 10-under 206, then waited as Lehman missed virtually the same putt for birdie.
“I guess, just misread it,” Lehman said about the putt that slipped by the right edge of the cup. “I thought I hit a good putt. It certainly it didn’t do what I thought it was going to do. I thought it was going to break left and it didn’t.”
After playing the front nine in 1 under with a bogey and two birdies, Frost birdied Nos. 11-13 to take the lead and made another birdie on No. 15.
“Every victory you do accomplish holds a special place,” Frost said. “This is a very special victory for me.”
Lehman closed with a 70, and Sutherland had a 72.
Joe Durant was fourth at 8 under after a 69. Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie and Woody Austin each shot 70s to finish at 7 under.
Canadian Stephen Ames tied for 27th at 2-over 218, while fellow Canucks Rod Spittle and Jim Rutledge followed closely behind. Spittle tied for 39th at 5-over 221, while Rutledge tied for 47th at 6-over 222.
Kevin Sutherland takes Champions Tour lead
SAUCIER, Miss. – Kevin Sutherland birdied three of the final six holes Saturday for a 5-under 67 and the second-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.
Those birdies pushed him to the top and he protected the lead with key par saves from bunkers on the last two holes, including one from a buried lie and awkward stance on the par-3 17th.
“I didn’t have a stance and the ball’s plugged,” Sutherland said. “If someone would have given me a 4, I would have taken it. I thought if I could just pop it out I might could run it up to the hole. I was just hoping to get a putt at it and I did and I was fortunate enough to make it. Just ended up in a bad spot but was able to make the best of it.”
Sutherland, the one-time PGA Tour winner who shot the first 59 in Champions Tour history last year in Endicott, New York, chipped in for birdie from behind the 12th green and birdied Nos. 15 and 16.
He had a two-stroke lead over 2011 MGRC champ Tom Lehman, but he doesn’t have the “hangover” from a record round like he did the last time he took a lead into the final round.
“This is very different, a different mentality,” Sutherland said. “When I shot the 59, it almost felt like I had won something already. There were all the congratulations, and the million texts and all that stuff and everybody wanted to talk about it, which is totally understandable. It was hard to come out the next day and be focused.
“As much as I wanted to be, I wasn’t as focused as I needed to be. I don’t think that will be a problem tomorrow. Whether I play well or not is a different subject, but I know I’ll be ready to play. At Dick Sporting Goods (Open), I was still living off a hangover from the day before.”
Lehman climbed the leaderboard with a bogey-free 66, highlighted by a 50-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth hole.
“You just have to get it over the ridge and then it’s all about gravity,” Lehman said. “It’s a matter of getting up to the right on the high side in the right spot where it can just trundle on down the hill. It looked perfect from the beginning. It was one of those long putts that at worst case is going to be really close. Within 5 or 6 feet, I thought it was in.
“Those are the kinds of things that happen when momentum is on your side, and to do well in golf you have to have things like that happen. You can’t be perfect all the time. You have to get away with some imperfection and that was certainly one case of that.”
Tom Pernice Jr. and David Frost were 6 under. Pernice had a 69, and Frost shot 70.
Scott Dunlap had a 65, the best round of the week, to join Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant, Olin Browne and Woody Austin at 5 under. Montgomerie and Durant shot 72 after sharing the first-round lead. Browne had a 68, and Austin shot 71.
Miguel Angel Jimenez was 2 over after a 70. The Spaniard won the season-opening event in Hawaii in January for his second victory in three career Champions Tour starts.
“It’s a tough course so anybody within five or six shots still has a chance to win with a really hot round,” Lehman said. “Everybody knows the golf course. It’s a matter of who goes out and enjoys it the most, is the strongest mentally and gets a break or two when then need it and makes some putts.”
Canada’s Stephen Ames has a share of 21st at even-par after a 73. Rod Spittle is tied for 31st (+2) and Jim Rutledge is tied for 69th (+9).
Marco Dawson wins Tucson Conquistadores Classic
TUCSON, Ariz. – Marco Dawson won the Tucson Conquistadores Classic on Sunday for his first Champions Tour’s title, breaking a tie with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th hole and closing with two pars for a two-stroke victory.
The 51-year-old Dawson shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 13-under 203 in the first-year event at Tucson National, the longtime home of the PGA Tour’s defunct Tucson Open. He opened with consecutive 67s to take a one-stroke lead into the final round.
“I’m just thinking about all the work I put in over the years, especially the last few years – more mental work than anything,” Dawson said. “I’m really happy with the way I played. I’m just glad I played the game that I wanted to play.”
Dawson won in his 21st start on the 50-and-over tour. He’s winless in 412 PGA Tour starts and has one victory in 161 events on the Web.com Tour.
Dawson bogeyed the par-4 15th to fall into a tie with Bart Bryant at 12 under. On the 16th, Dawson’s birdie putt barely tumbled in, and Bryant made a bogey after driving into a bunker.
Bryant had a 70 to finish second for the second straight event. He lost a playoff to Lee Janzen last month in Naples, Florida.
Mark O’Meara was third at 10 under after a 66.
Tom Pernice Jr. was another stroke back after a 68.
Canada’s Rod Spittle tied for 21st at 4-under, while Stephen Ames was 1-under and tied for 37th.
Jesper Parnevik struggled in his Champions Tour debut, shooting 71-74-71 to tie for 42nd at even par. The five-time PGA Tour winner turned 50 on March 7. He missed the cut two weeks ago in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open after injuring his back in a fall during a practice round.
Marco Dawson leads Tucson Conquistadores Classic
TUCSON, Ariz. – Marco Dawson made a 15-foot par putt on the par-4 18th for a 5-under 67 and the second-round lead Saturday in the Champions Tour’s Tucson Conquistadores Classic.
The 51-year-old Dawson, making his 21st start on the 50-and-over tour, opened with two birdies, made four in row on Nos. 7-10 and had his lone bogey on the par-3 17th.
Dawson had a 10-under 134 total in the first-year event on Tucson National’s Catalina Course, the longtime home of the PGA Tour’s defunct Tucson Open.
Dawson was second last year in the AT&T Championship in San Antonio. He’s winless in 412 PGA Tour starts and has one victory in 161 events on the Web.com Tour.
Wes Short Jr. and Bart Bryant were 9 under. Short eagled the par-5 second hole in a 66. Bryant, coming off a playoff loss to Lee Janzen last month in Naples, Florida, had an eagle on the par-5 10th in his 67.
Jerry Smith, the first-round leader after making a hole-in-one in a 65, dropped three strokes on the final two holes to fall to 8 under. He matched Dawson with a bogey on 17 and made a double bogey after driving into the left-side water on 18.
Michael Allen (67) and David Frost (71) were 6 under. Colin Montgomerie bogeyed the 18th for a 72 to fall into a tie for seventh at 5 under.
Bernhard Langer was tied for 10th at 4 under after a 71. He had five victories last year.
Kirk Triplett, the winner of the PGA Tour’s final Tucson Open in 2006 at Tucson National, was tied for 20th at 3 under after a 73.
Jesper Parnevik was 1 over after a 74 in his Champions Tour debut. The five-time PGA Tour winner turned 50 on March 7. He missed the cut two weeks ago in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open after injuring his back in a fall during a practice round.
Fred Couples was 3 over after a 75. Tom Watson was another shot back after a 72.
Leading the Canadian charge was Rod Spittle. The St. Catharines, Ont., native has a share of 32nd at 1-under.
Jerry Smith has ace, leads Tucson Conquistadores Classic
TUCSON, Ariz. – Jerry Smith had a hole-in-one and shot a 7-under 65 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s inaugural Tucson Conquistadores Classic.
The 50-year-old Smith used a 5-iron on the 212-yard seventh hole – his 16th hole of the day – on Tucson National’s Catalina Course.
“I hit a 5 and cut it just a little bit back into the wind,” Smith said. “I think that hole played 212, but just wanted to fly to about 195, maybe. In the air, it did look really good. I really didn’t have any belief that it could go in for a one, but once it hit the green, it started rolling back there. A lot of friends that were following around were up at the green and they kind of gave the old cheer and I did see it disappear.”
He played the final nine holes in 6-under 30, making birdies on Nos. 2, 3, 6 and 8.
“I can’t be happier, obviously, for the way it turned out,” Smith said. “Just kind of got the right bounces and stayed out of trouble and I really did putt well the entire day.
Colin Montgomerie, David Frost, Steve Pate and Marco Dawson were tied for second at 67.
Kirk Triplett, the winner of the PGA Tour’s final Tucson Open in 2006 at Tucson National, was three strokes back at 68 along with Bart Bryant and Corey Pavin. Bryant is coming off a playoff loss to Lee Janzen last month in Naples, Florida.
Montgomerie noted the large galleries,
“I thought it was fantastic, I really did, and it proves that this area is in need of professional golf,” Montgomerie said. “It’s a shame that the Tucson Open has gone off the PGA Tour. I think it’s fantastic that the crowds are more like a PGA Tour event than anything else, never mind a Champions Tour event. All credit to everybody for putting this together on short notice.”
Bernhard Langer opened with a 69, so did Canada’s Stephen Ames.
Jesper Parnevik had a 71 in his Champions Tour debut. The five-time PGA Tour winner turned 50 on March 7. He missed the cut two weeks ago in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open after injuring his back in a fall during a practice round.
Fred Couples and Tom Lehman shot 72, and Tom Watson had a 76.
Based in Scottsdale, Smith earned fully exempt status on the 50-and-over tour in November with a tie for third at Q-school. He won the Asian Tour’s 1998 Guam Open and made 153 PGA Tour starts.
“Things have gone as well as I really could have expected this year,” Smith said. “It’s not like I’ve been doing anything different or working harder or working out or anything special. Just really been trying to focus on doing some of the same things just over and over every day, whether it’s with my putting or my routine with my full swings.”
Janzen edges Bryant in playoff on Champions Tour
NAPLES, Fla. – Lee Janzen had a good feeling about his 8-foot putt on the No. 18 hole.
Janzen made the putt, then topped Bart Bryant in a playoff to win the ACE Group Classic on Sunday at TwinEagles Golf Club.
“I was like I have to make birdie here to get in a playoff, or I make a par and I don’t and I’ll just go back to the drawing board and work harder on my putting because I had some putts I could have made that would have made a difference,” Janzen said. “But there was a peace that to me it didn’t matter whether I won or not.”
Bryant fought his way back into contention when he shot a 10-under 62 Sunday, tying a course record while Janzen had a 5-under 67.
Both were 16 under in regulation play.
However, Bryant struggled in the playoff. After a short drive, he had 178 yards to go on the first playoff hole, No. 18. His second shot hit the railroad ties before bouncing back into the water.
“Well, honestly, where I messed up was my drive,” he said. “I kind of hit just a terrible little fade out there, so I lost 20, 30 yards. So now I have a longer yardage and shooting more across the water.
“Actually, the second shot I felt like I hit pretty good, I just left it a couple yards right. I thought I had enough, I thought I took enough club that even if I pushed it, I was going to carry the water.
“I think the wind had changed just a little bit from the first time played it and was just enough. So I hit a bad drive, caught a little bit of a bad lie, hit it a little right and it all equals in the water.”
Janzen, with 164 yards to go, put his approach shot on the green. He then two-putted for the victory.
“Once he hit his shot, I was, you know, thinking about hitting it to the pin, being aggressive, but once he hit his shot, I calculated where’s the best place to be to make a 4?,” Janzen said. “Long was no good.
“If I brought long into play and went left at all, it goes down left of the green and that’s an extremely hard chip, so I was very content to be short and left. I just had to be disciplined enough to aim it left at the front of the green and hit it there, so that’s what I did with a 7 iron.”
Janzen, the U.S. Open champion in 1993 and 1998, hadn’t won an individual tournament for more than 16 years, spanning 413 starts.
“I work on my game in a certain way so I’m going to do the best I can on every shot and I don’t need to worry about what people think, whether I hit a good shot or a bad shot,” Janzen said. “I used to have a terrible temper and threw clubs and carried on.
“That was really the breakthrough was to realize I was only doing that because I was too worried about what other people thought about my golf game, so I felt like I had to get mad to show them that I was better than that, which was just ridiculous.”
The tournament also was emotional for Bryant, who had to compose himself during a TV interview after he finished his 54th hole. His mother attended her first tournament since her husband died in May.
“I really thought about it at the beginning of the week how cool it would be if Brad or I could pull something off and just couldn’t quite get it done,” he said. “I hate to say it, there might have been a little bit when you get done and ready to go in a playoff, you don’t want to get emotional, you need to get tough and ready to go to a playoff. I think I lost a little bit of that, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Colin Montgomerie entered the day at 12 under and with a one-shot lead. He opened with a birdie but then alternated birdies and bogeys on Nos. 10-13. He also bogeyed No. 18 to fall into fifth place.
Esteban Toledo, who shot a 6-under 66 Sunday, finished third at 14 under.
Paul Goydos, the champion last week at The Allianz Championship, finished 7 under.
Kirk Triplett, the defending ACE Group Classic champion, finished 2 under after going 68-72-74.
Bernhard Langer, who was at 7 under, withdrew from the tournament and returned home to Boca Raton to be with daughter Christina. She had back surgery five weeks earlier.
Stephen Ames emerged as the top Canadian, shooting 4-under 212 to tie for 10th place. Rod Spittle finished tied for 25th (3-under) while Jim Rutledge tied for 56th (3-over).
Colin Montgomerie has slim lead at Champion Tours event
NAPLES, Fla. – Colin Montgomerie has fond memories of his last showdown with Lee Janzen.
He’s hoping for a repeat.
Montgomerie overcame a double bogey to shoot his second straight 6-under 66, holding onto a one-stroke lead over Janzen after two rounds of the ACE Group Classic at TwinEagles Golf Club on Saturday.
Montgomerie birdied four of his last six holes and is 12-under 132 for the tournament. Lee Janzen also had a double bogey but shot a 7-under 65 and is one back at 11 under.
In 1993, Montgomerie and Janzen squared off in the Ryder Cup in England.
“The singles is different,” Montgomerie said. “It’s very much a 1-on-1. I managed to beat him 1-up. I hope to stay one ahead.”
In the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama, Janzen recalls running besides Montgomerie while he was being cheered by the European fans. Janzen took off his hat and waved in appreciation.
“Some guy yelled out, `We’re not cheering for you, Janzen,’ which was quite funny,” he said. “He got a good laugh out of that reminiscing.”
Esteban Toledo and Scott Dunlap are at 8-under 136. Three other players are at 7 under, including Bernhard Langer, who won five tournaments in 2014 as well as 18 top-10 finishes.
“A wee bit of gap,” Montgomerie said.
Montgomerie birdied Nos. 2, 3, 6 and 7 before faltering for a double bogey on No. 9. He pushed his second shot into a bunker. His chip then ran back down the hill. He chipped to within 4 feet but missed the putt.
Janzen found trouble on the seventh hole. He birdied his first three holes as well as Nos. 6, 9, 12, 13, 16 and 17.
“Same things, I mean, you can look at his caliber and his ability and what he did on 9, he probably wants to kick himself, just like I did on No. 7,” Janzen said. “I actually had a chance to make a par.”
Added Montgomerie: “He threw in one early on the seventh and I gave him one back at the ninth and yet we both scored 66, 65. So good scoring and it’s good that’s you’re spurred on by someone, especially your playing partner, someone you respect.”
Montgomerie birdied four of his last six holes. On No. 17, he had a decision to make. He chose to lay up and credited that with getting a birdie.
“It says maybe I’m more patient,” he said. “Maybe I’m maturing, mellowing. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.”
Paul Goydos, who won The Allianz Championship last week in Boca Raton, Fla., is at 5-under after a 70.
Kirk Triplett, the 2014 ACE Group Classic victor, is at 4-under after a 72.