BRIDGEND, Wales  — Bernhard Langer made a statement of intent when he opened with a 6-under-par 65 to take a two-stroke lead over American Bob Tway in the British Senior Open at a sweltering Royal Porthcawl on Thursday.

Langer, who threw away a two-stroke lead on the final hole at Royal Birkdale last year and then was beaten for the title in a playoff, was out in a best-of-the-day 31.

He birdied the third, fourth, sixth and eighth holes, and went 5 under when he birdied the long 13th. He dropped a shot at the 16th but then hit back immediately with birdies at the two closing holes.

“Six under is very satisfying,” Langer said. “I played smart, some good, some great.

“I kept it out of the bunkers and out of the hay, and gave myself some opportunities. And I’m pleased with a birdie-birdie finish.”

Langer is trying to add a second British Senior title to the one he won at Carnoustie in 2010.

Tway set the early target at 4-under 67, with birdies at the first, sixth, 12th and 13th, and no dropped shots.

“It was a pleasure to play a nice round of golf on a great golf course,” Tway said. “I probably should have bogeyed a couple of holes coming in, but I got lucky.”

Chris Williams of England was alone in third on a bogey-free 68 with birdies at Nos. 2, 4 and 6, while Andrew Oldcorn of Scotland was a stroke behind in fourth. Spain’s Pedro Linhart and Canadian Rick Gibson were tied for fifth on 70.

Mark Wiebe, who beat Langer in last year’s playoff and played with him in the first round, carded 5-over 76.

Colin Montgomerie, bidding for his third successive seniors’ major, was on 74 with just two birdies, and three dropped shots.

Tom Watson had a roller-coaster front nine of 1-over 36, steadied the ship for five holes after the turn, then dropped three strokes on successive holes before birdieing the last for a 3-over 74.

On the way out he birdied the first, dropped a stroke at the next three holes, parred No. 5, birdied the sixth, dropped a stroke at the seventh, birdied the eighth, and parred the ninth.

The winner at Royal Birkdale two years ago, Fred Couples, was out in 39 after a triple-bogey eight at the long sixth, but stormed back with a birdie-eagle-birdie run from the 12th to get back to level, dropped a stroke at the 16th, and birdied the last to be back in 32 for a par 71.

Calgary’s Rick Gibson and Rob Spittle of St. Catherine’s, Ont. are representing Canada in the Senior Open, and shot 70 and 76 respectively in the opening round.

CALGARY—One of the game’s greatest names, Fred Couples, has confirmed he will be returning to Calgary to compete in the second annual Shaw Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, August 27-31, 2014.

A World Golf Hall of Fame member, the 54-year-old Couples is one of the feature attractions on the Champions Tour that showcases an assembly of golf’s legends. A winner of 15 PGA Tour events, the smooth swinging Couples won his lone major championship at the 1992 Masters Tournament.

“Freddie definitely played a huge role in drawing thousands of golf fans out to our inaugural Tournament one year ago and we are thrilled to have him join us again this year in Calgary,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic. “The patron group, our title sponsor Shaw Communications, and the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club have made a commitment to build on the event’s successful foundation year to raise more money for children’s charities. Adding Freddie’s name to the list of high-profiled players making their first trip to Calgary like Bernhard Langer, Kenny Perry and Mark Calcavecchia definitely helps us achieve our goal!”

Couples has also racked up 10 Champions Tour victories since joining the senior circuit in 2010. After finishing second in his first start, he went on to win his next three events, becoming the first player ever to win three of his first four events. He also has two major championship victories on the Champions Tour: 2011 Senior Players Championship, and The Senior Open Championship in 2012.

“I really enjoyed playing up in Calgary last year, so I’m looking forward to getting back to the Shaw Charity Classic this summer,” said Couples. “This was one of the top events on Tour last year. The crowds were huge, the golf course was in great shape and we were able to raise some significant money for the wonderful youth charities in the area. I hope the community comes out to support the tournament this year and I know the players will put on another great show!”

Couples will be among 81 Champions Tour professionals that will play in Calgary including Steve Elkington, Fred Funk, David Frost, and defending champion Rocco Mediate.

Continuing this trend of bringing big names to Calgary for this year’s tournament, Shaw also announced today that rock icons Randy Bachman and Fred Turner will be joined by acclaimed Canadian band The Sheepdogs to celebrate the Shaw Charity Classic with a free concert at Shaw Millennium Park on Thursday, August 28.

Presented by Rdio, the country’s leading digital streaming music service, tickets to the all-ages concert will be will be made available for free beginning Thursday, July 17 at 10am MT by visiting shaw.ca/concert.

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.he inaugural Shaw Charity Classic, which was recognized with an Outstanding Achievement Award for a first year event by the PGA Tour, and a Tourism Calgary White Hat Award for best event/festival/attraction in 2013, made a record-setting charitable donation of $2,276,251 for a Champions Tour event.  The legends of the game will play for a purse of $2.25 million, an increase of $250,000 from last year, when they return to Calgary’s Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club August 27-31, 2014.

EDMOND, Okla. – Colin Montgomerie is getting used to winning these big events.

The Scotsman defeated Gene Sauers in a playoff to claim the U.S. Senior Open title Sunday at Oak Tree National.

Montgomerie failed to win in 71 PGA Tour majors and four Champions Tour majors until May, when he won the Senior PGA Championship. Now, he has won two of his past three majors to become just the fifth golfer to win both the Senior PGA Championship and U.S. Senior Open in the same year.

The 51-year-old said he has become more patient with age.

“You have to play intelligent golf, and I think I’ve matured enough to realize that and play more within myself sometimes, including today – to play away from some pins so you don’t make bogies, and you realize that in major golf, pars are usually good enough, especially in the USGA events,” he said.

Montgomerie reached another milestone by winning his first professional playoff in nine tries. Most famously, he lost to Ernie Els at the 1994 U.S. Open and to Steve Elkington in sudden death at the 1995 PGA Championship.

“I’ve been close in these USGA championships a couple of times,” he said. “I’ve lost in a playoff and been one shot behind a couple of times, and you have to wait to (over age) 50 to finally win one.”

On the 18th hole of regulation, Montgomerie parred, then waited. Sauers’ second shot landed about 10 feet from the hole, giving him a chance to win the tournament with a birdie. His putt lipped out, and he parred to force the playoff.

“I guess I just may have misread that putt the first time around, didn’t play enough break,” Sauers said. “Hit a good putt, broke right at the hole at the last second.”

Montgomerie led at the end of the first and second days of the Senior Open, but entered Sunday’s action four shots behind Sauers. He shot a 2-under 69 to force the playoff and now feels he is capable of playing just as well on the PGA Tour.

“My golf is as good as it was in the `90s, when I was No. 2 in the world,” he said. “It really is. I can’t see any difference between that.”

Montgomerie and Sauers entered the playoff at 5 under. Montgomerie entered the third extra hole with a one-shot lead, then sank a putt on 18 to par the hole and claim the win.

It was the first playoff at a U.S. Senior Open since 2002, when Don Pooley beat Tom Watson in a five-hole playoff. This one was held in temperatures that exceeded 100 degrees. Sauers often used a towel to wipe his face and at times rolled it and placed it on the back of his neck. Montgomerie’s face was red from the sun, and he carried a towel to the interview podium while still sweating well after he made his final putt.

“For my wife and three kids to be here is fantastic, and I’m just sorry for them,” Montgomerie said. “It was very hot for them to walk around. They had to walk 21 holes today. Eighteen is enough.”

David Frost and Woody Austin, making his Champions Tour debut, tied for third at 1 under. Jeff Sluman, Vijay Singh and Marco Dawson tied for fifth at even par.

Bernhard Langer, who was among the leaders for most of the tournament and entered the final day at 4 under, faltered on the back nine. He double bogeyed 16 and finished at 6 over for the day and 2 over for the tournament, tied for ninth.

Sauers’ performance was impressive, given his circumstances. He said a reaction to a wrongly prescribed medication several years ago caused Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a disorder that burned the skin on his arms and legs from the inside out. He got out of the hospital in June 2011 and eventually returned to the course.

Sauers hadn’t finished higher than 15th in a Champions Tour event this year, and hadn’t won an event of any kind since the 2002 Air Canada Championship on the PGA Tour. He has never won a major on the Champions or PGA tours, but he was thankful to be close.

“I’m glad to be able to be here to play with my friends again,” he said. “I’m glad to be here and I’m coming back. I feel good about my game, and there’s always next week.”

The lone Canadian in the field was Rod Spittle. He finished tied for 49th at 13-over 297 after a 75 on Sunday.

EDMOND, Okla. – Gene Sauers shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead in the third round of the U.S. Senior Open.

Sauers had a 33 on the back nine to take control at Oak Tree National heading into the final round on Sunday. He is at 7 under for the tournament.

Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer and Scott Dunlap are tied for second at 4 under.

Langer, who has dominated the Champions Tour all season, was solid, but had several potential birdies lip out during his even-par 71.

Marco Dawson, who shot a 76 on Friday, rebounded with a 69 on Saturday and is tied for fifth with Jeff Sluman and Vijay Singh.

Canada’s Rod spittle is tied for 44th at 9-over thru 3 rounds in Oklahoma.

EDMOND, Okla. – Colin Montgomerie remains in front after the second day of action at the U.S. Senior Open.

The Scotsman had an even-par 71 on Friday and is 6 under for the tournament, good for a one-stroke lead over Scott Dunlap.

A few golfers remained on the course as of 8 p.m. EDT, but the leaders had finished.

Dunlap had a 68 in the second round. He birdied Nos. 2, 5 and 7 on his way to a 3-under 32 on the front nine.

Bernhard Langer took sole possession of the lead with a birdie on 14, but netted bogeys on 15, 16 and 18 to finish tied for third at 4 under. He is tied with Gene Sauers, who shot 69 on both the first two days.

Canada’s Rod Spittle shot a 78 Friday and dropped into a tie for 55th at 7-over 149. Spittle was event after the opening-round and despite the lackluster second round he’ll stick around for weekend action after making the cut on the number.

EDMOND, Okla. – Colin Montgomerie declared Bernhard Langer the favorite heading into the U.S. Senior Open.

After 18 holes, Montgomerie may well have seized that position himself with a 6-under 65 to lead at the end of Thursday at Oak Tree National.

The Scotsman started on No. 10 and birdied Nos. 14, 15 and 16 on the way to a 33 on the back nine. He birdied six, seven and eight to finish strong in oppressive heat and humidity.

“That was the key to the round, the three birdies in a row on the front nine, my back nine,” Montgomerie said. “To birdie six, seven, eight was good. That got me to the position I am now.”

Marco Dawson was second after a 66, and Mark Brooks was third after shooting 68. Langer was one of five golfers tied for fourth with a 69.

Dawson, in his first Senior Open, started on the back nine and shot 2 under, then was steady on the front nine before scoring birdies on seven, eight and nine. The 50-year-old said it was one of the two best rounds he’s played in his six Champions Tour events. He was pleased with the performance, especially considering the course’s challenging reputation.

“It just seemed to happen, you know, birdie, birdie, birdie the last three holes, so I ended up 5 under,” he said. “I could have shot 2 under and still would have been a good round.”

Brooks birdied the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th holes to go 4 under on his first five holes. He shot 3 under on the back nine and even on the front nine.

“I’ve been playing here since high school,” he said. “I’m comfortable here. My mother and father both are Oklahomans, so I got a lot of Oklahoma blood in me.”

Langer, who entered the Senior Open having already won three events this year, was in a five-way tie for fourth along with Vijay Singh, Kirk Triplett, Scott Dunlap and Gene Sauers.

“They say you don’t win a tournament on the first day,” Langer said. “You can certainly lose it with a bad round, so, you know, I’m somewhere in the top 10 or top 20 after today, which is a good spot to be. Still have three rounds to go.”

Kenny Perry, last year’s Senior Open winner, shot a 75.

Mother Nature was a factor for various reasons.

Play was delayed for 77 minutes at the start due to the threat of lightning, and play was suspended because of darkness at 8:54 p.m. CDT, with three players still on the course.

Wilting 90-plus degree heat with humidity hit in the afternoon. Darrell Kestner completed 14 holes Thursday before withdrawing and being treated for a heat-related issue.

Peter Jacobsen, who withdrew from last year’s Senior Open in Omaha after nine holes because of dehydration, made it through the opening day in Edmond. He shot a 1-under 70, then held a sports drink as he answered questions.

“I learned a really good lesson,” he said. “My doctor told me, `Don’t ever get dehydrated because it’s very debilitating on your body.’ I walk around with water and Gatorade and lot of liquid, especially here when we know it’s going to be humid and hot.”

Heavy rains Wednesday softened the course, but the heat Thursday made it hard later in the day. Changing winds added another degree of difficulty to an already long, tough course.

“It is kind of difficult to judge the wind out here,” Montgomerie said. “You’re always going to get breeze out here in Oklahoma. That’s part of the test out here.”

Weather is expected to remain a factor through the rest of the tournament, with temperatures expected to soar. Montgomerie said it will amount to a physical examination.

“It’s going to be grueling over the next three days,” he said. “Concentration levels will be difficult to maintain for everybody out there, not just myself. I look forward to the challenge of trying to compete against the rest of the field, the golf course, which is superb, and also the weather conditions, which are very foreign to myself and most competitors, to be honest. We don’t usually play in 100 degrees. It’s going to be interesting over the next three days.”

The lone Canadian in the field is Rod Spittle, who opened with an up-and-down even-par 71 that included four birdies and four bogeys. He’s six shots back of the lead, tied for 18th.

EDMOND, Okla. – Colin Montgomerie has been impressed with Bernhard Langer’s success.

The 56-year-old has three victories this season and won the most recent event, the Senior Players Championship. He has everyone’s attention as he heads into the U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree National, starting Thursday.

“He’s as good as the German football team are, which is ridiculously good,” Montgomerie said of the team that advanced to the World Cup championship match after a 7-1 rout of Brazil.

Langer also has three runner-up finishes and 11 top 10s in 12 events. He has 2,362 points in the race for the Charles Schwab Cup; the second-place golfer, Jay Haas, is 882 points behind.

Langer is playing some of the best golf of his career.

“Well, the whole game has been pretty solid,” Langer said. “I’m hitting it pretty decent from tee to green and the putter is maybe a little bit better this year, just a fraction, than in previous years. It shows in the scores.”

This is the first Senior Open to be held at Oak Tree, but not the first significant event. Jeff Sluman won the 1988 PGA Championship at the course and Haas won the 2006 Senior PGA Championship.

Langer said Oak Tree is a good and difficult course.

“I would think it’s the hardest course I have ever played, or one of the hardest courses, the way it’s set up right now,” he said. “It’s just extremely demanding. And if the wind blows on top of that, it’s going to make it even harder.”

Langer will have competition. Kenny Perry, the defending U.S. Senior Open champion, has won three of the previous six senior major championships. Those victories give him confidence heading into the Senior Open.

“I look forward to the major tournaments now because I can be a little more aggressive,” he said. “I feel like I’m a lot more competitive and I have a lot more confidence. When I come in each week, I’m expecting to win. I may not win and I may not even make the cut, I don’t know, but I feel good mentally as I approach these events.”

Scott Verplank turned 50 on Wednesday, reaching the age requirement by one day. The Edmond, Oklahoma, resident has finished in the top 10 in every major professional championship event. Though he has the advantage of playing this event on his home course and he will be the youngest in the field, he doesn’t expect an easy time.

“These guys can still flat-out play,” Verplank said. “I’m not going to able to just roll out of bed and show up on the first tee and expect to beat everybody. I’m going to have to play at a very high level to compete.”

Vijay Singh will make his second start on the Champions Tour. The 51-year-old previously played in the 2013 Pacific Links Hawai’i Championship, where he tied for sixth. He won 34 PGA Tour events, including three majors.

Other former champions in the field include Olin Browne (2011), Brad Bryant (2007), Roger Chapman (2012), Dave Eichelberger (1999), Fred Funk (2009), Hale Irwin (1998, 2000), Peter Jacobsen (2004) Larry Laoretti (1992) and Perry (2013).

Irwin, the only two-time Senior Open winner in the field, would tie Jack Nicklaus for the career record of eight senior major titles with a victory.

Even with all the big names, most of the pre-event chatter has focused on Langer.

“It’s fantastic to see that someone can actually, in my book, improve over 50,” Montgomerie, who is third in the points standings, said. “There are very few guys in the world that can improve over 40. Bernhard Langer appears to be improving over 50. That’s a real compliment to say. So of course he’s the guy to beat.”

PITTSBURGH – Bernhard Langer made a short birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff with Jeff Sluman to win the Senior Players Championship on Sunday.

Langer appeared to be in trouble when his second shot on the par-5 18th ended up in the rough short of the green. He hit a brilliant pitch to 5 feet and made the putt after Sluman’s birdie attempt rolled just wide.

The victory was the 56-year-old Langer’s third of the year and his third major title on the Champions Tour. The two-time Masters champion shot an even-par 70 to finish at 15-under 265 at Fox Chapel.

Sluman had a bogey-free 65 to match Langer, but narrowly missed a birdie putt on the first playoff hole that would have won it.

Russ Cochran, who trailed by seven shots early in the final round, had a 67 to finish third at 14 under.

Defending champion Kenny Perry tied Langer for the lead heading into the back nine, but faded badly over the closing holes. Perry’s 69 left him two shots out of the playoff.

Langer nearly missed out on the playoff himself. He fought a balky putter much of the day only to hole a 35-foot birdie putt on the 17th that lifted him into a tie with Sluman. The normally reserved German pumped his fist in disbelief after the ball dropped into the cup. He parred 18 to match Sluman at 15 under and escaped one more time when Sluman’s birdie attempt on the first playoff hole burned the right edge.

Sluman, the 1988 PGA champion, covered his hands in disbelief after the putt stayed out. Langer didn’t let the reprieve go to waste, birdieing the 18th on his third try to earn his first major title on the 50-and-over circuit since the 2010 Senior British Open.

It didn’t come easy for a player who started the day with a comfortable three-shot advantage over Perry.

The steady play that kept Langer atop the leaderboard for the better part of 54 holes abandoned him early in the round, opening the door for the rest of the field. Langer missed a short par putt at the par-4 fourth, and he turned the 295-yard par-4 seventh into an adventure when his pitch sailed over the green and his 5-foot comebacker for par popped off the back edge of the cup.

Perry, who promised to go into “attack mode” to chase down his good friend, had little trouble tracking Langer down. He pulled even with a birdie at the seventh and did it again at the ninth, when he bounced back from a bogey at the eighth by holing out from a greenside bunker for birdie.

A back-nine duel, however, never materialized. Both players started spraying shots – including an ugly double bogey for Langer at the par-4 12th – while Sluman quietly went about his business in the group ahead.

Sluman slowly reeled in the front-runners, taking the lead with a birdie on the par-4 14th and adding another at the par-4 16th while Perry and Langer faltered behind him.

The streaky Perry, trying to join Arnold Palmer as the only player to win consecutive Senior Players titles, cooled as the pressure mounted. He shot 3-over 38 on the back, failing to make a single birdie down the stretch as the crisp iron game that vaulted him into contention vanished.

Canada’s Jim Rutledge (72-70-74) and Rod Spittle (69-73-71) finished at 3-over 283 and tied for 54th.

PITTSBURGH – Bernhard Langer spent 45 anxious minutes Friday night wondering if the driver that he has used the last two years would be healthy enough to make it to work Saturday.

Fortunately, a Champions Tour club technician was able to find a replacement screw for the one that busted inside the clubhead at the end of Langer’s second round at the Senior Players Championship.

The “gamer” back in his ever steady hands, Langer moved closer to his third major title on the 50-and-over circuit, overcoming a slow start to shoot a 4-under 66 in the third round and stay in front of hard-charging Kenny Perry at Fox Chapel.

“There’s always slight doubts,” Langer said. “You’re putting something together. They say it’s the same, but you’re never sure it’s the same … I was convinced it was very close to the same. You don’t want it to get into your head.”

It hardly looked like Langer was bothered while moving to 15-under 195 through 54 holes at an event where he has five top-10 finishes but no victories. The two-time Masters hit 10 of 14 fairways and shot a 4-under 31 on the back nine to regain control after briefly losing the lead to Perry.

Perry, trying to join Arnold Palmer as the only player to win the Senior Players in consecutive years, was three behind after a 65 he allowed could have been even better. Still, the deficit is hardly daunting for Perry, who trailed Fred Couples by two heading into the final round last June only to emerge with the first major of his professional career.

“Hopefully, the results will be the same,” Perry said, laughing.

Russ Cochran, Joe Durant and Bill Glasson were four back. Cochran had a 63, the low round of the day. Durant shot 67, and Glasson had a 68.

Jeff Sluman was at 10 under following a 64 as the field began to spread out behind Langer.

While Langer’s driver was just fine when he walked to the first tee on Saturday, everything else in his game looked shaky early on. The 56-year-old German three-putted the first hole for bogey and couldn’t get up and down for par from a greenside bunker on the fifth.

With Perry rocketing up the leaderboard in front of him, the unflappable Langer regained control of the tournament.

A 30-foot birdie from the back of the green on the par-4 sixth got him going and he backed it up with another birdie on the seventh to bring him back to even par, setting the stage for the strong back nine. After finding himself one shot behind Perry at the turn, Langer put on a clinic. He birdied the 12th then ran off three more birdies from Nos. 14-16, all of them on putts inside 15 feet.

Langer has been one of the most dominant players on the Champions Tour since making his debut in 2007. He has won 20 times since turning 50, including the Senior British Open and the U.S. Senior Open in 2010. He has challenged frequently at the Senior Players, where he’s never finished worse than 13th in six starts, including a tie for eighth behind Perry last June.

This time Langer finds himself in the role of leader, but he’ll have an eyeful of Perry on Sunday after the streaky Kentuckian put together another scorching round at the par 70 layout.

Perry bounced back a methodical 70 in the opening round with a 63 on Friday. He followed it with a roller-coaster 65 that included six birdies, an eagle and three bogeys.

“I need to make that a little bit better tomorrow,” Perry said. “I need to clean it up a little bit and put on a little bit of pressure.”

A birdie on No. 14 seemed to have Perry poised for his second straight 63, but he cooled over the closing stretch, bogeying the 16th after his tee shot landed against a tree. Playing into the wind on the uphill par-5 18th, he settled for par, leaving himself and the rest of the field with some work to do to catch Langer.

Not that Langer is taking anything for granted.

“I still have got to shoot under par tomorrow,” he said. “I feel Kenny Perry is going to go under par. There’s still 18 holes to play. That’s a lot of golf.”

Maybe, but Perry knows Langer isn’t going to come back to the pack. Perry estimated it would take a 63 to make things interesting on Sunday. Anything less could turn the round into a victory lap for his good friend.

“If he kicks my butt, I’ll shake his hand, give him a hug, whatever,” Perry said. “We’re going to go out and compete and see where the chips fall.”

The Canadians didn’t make up any ground Saturday. Rod Splittle dropped three spots into a tie for 60th at 3-over after a second round 71. Jim Rutledge fell nine spots into a tie for 66th at 6-over.

PITTSBURGH – Bernhard Langer’s game is in splendid shape. His driver? Not so much.

Whether the two-time Masters champion can lock down his first Senior Players Championship could depend on how he deals with a backup.

Langer shot a 6-under 64 on Friday to take the lead at the halfway point of the third major on the Champions Tour, birdieing No. 18 to take a two-shot lead over Bill Glasson and Doug Garwood. Langer was at 11-under 129 as he searches for his first victory at the Senior Players after five top-10 finishes.

Rather than cruising, however, the 56-year-old Langer is wary after noticing the driver he has had in his bag for the last two years had started to rattle after teeing off on 18.

“I’m going ‘Wow, what’s the rattling for?”’ said Langer, a two-time winner this season. “And I grabbed the head, it was loose. So something broke inside the screw that holds the shaft in, I think it’s broken.”

It was one of the few things that went wrong for Langer on a day vulnerable Fox Chapel barely put up a fight. Doug Garwood, tied for the first-round lead, and Bill Glasson were two strokes back. Garwood birdied two of the last three holes, and Glasson had a 64.

Joe Durant, also tied for the first-round lead, was 8 under along with Michael Allen, John Riegger and Mark McNulty. Defending champion Kenny Perry moved into contention at 7 under with a 63, the low round of the tournament so far.

After being allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls during the opening round following several days of rain, players were forced to play it down everywhere but the 14th hole at the 6,710-yard layout.

It did little to affect the deluge of low scores. More than half the 81-player field was at even par or better.

Through two rounds, nobody was lower than Langer. He opened with a 65 and used a little bit of luck to jump start his round Friday. He attempted to drive the green on the uphill 295-yard par-4 seventh only to watch his ball sail into the left rough. His pitch from 25 yards bounded onto the green and into the cup for an unlikely eagle.

“I didn’t have much of a shot,” Langer said. “I short-sided myself and landed the pitch just perfect and it rolled right in. That was a bonus.”

The attack kept coming. He added four more birdies – all from inside 12 feet – including tricky left-to-right putt from 8 feet on the par-5 18th that gave Langer a two-shot cushion. Langer’s two-round score of 129 is the second-lowest at the midway point in a tournament that dates to 1983.

Yet Langer isn’t exactly blowing away the competition. There are some bold-faced names behind him, and some unfamiliar ones too.

Garwood is a journeyman who spent most of his prime selling insurance when he wasn’t playing on mini-tours. Yet he has gaining confidence with each passing week on the 50-and-over circuit. He nearly won at the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa last month before falling in a playoff.

The 51-year-old joked after the first round he wanted to lower expectations heading into the third major tournament of his Champions career, figuring if they’re low enough he’ll have no trouble surpassing them. Consider it done.

“Every day is like Disneyland for me,” Garwood said.

He opened with back-to-back birdies before giving both shots right back with consecutive bogeys. Undaunted, he kept firing at the slow, damp greens that have turned the tournament into so much target practice. He ended his round by birdieing the 18th for the second straight day.

Garwood was later joined by Glasson at 9 under after Glasson shot one of four 64s on a course that doesn’t look like it will firm up anytime soon.

That could turn the weekend into a shootout, which fits Perry just fine. A year ago he began the march to his first major title by shooting a 63 in the second round. He did the same Friday, though he could have gone even lower. He missed a 6-footer for birdie on No. 15 and appeared stunned when his 4-footer on No. 17 slid left of the hole.

Those are two putts the perpetually streaky Perry would like to have back. He spent the first two days playing alongside Langer. Now he’ll spend the next two chasing the meticulous German who already has two Champions Tour majors to his credit.

“He’s playing flawless golf,” Perry said of Langer. “He’s hitting it perfect, so he’s going to be a hard man to catch.”

Canada’s Rod Spittle (69-73) and Jim Rutledge (72-70) hold a share of 57th spot at 2-over 142.