DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Tim Herron shot a 9-under 63 on Saturday to take a four-stroke lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic.

Trying to win for the first time on the 50-and-over tour, Herron birdied the par-4 18th for a back-nine 30 and 14-under 130 total at Wakonda Club.

The 51-year-old from Minnesota, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, birdied three of the first five holes, then birdied Nos. 10-12, 15, 16 and 18 tp pull away.

“I got some really good breaks and I had some really good chances that I missed, but I made some great putts,” Herron said. “This is the most putts I’ve made in probably a decade. Hopefully, just going to keep it going and keep the putting stroke smooth.

He’s playing the event and Wakonda for the first time.

“It’s very hilly and it’s old school, it’s pretty crazy up-and-downs,” Herron said. “It’s what I grew up on. I’m from Minnesota, so it’s kind of the same grass around the greens. I get the feel on the reads.”

Shane Bertsch and Rod Pampling were second after 67s.

Doug Barron was 9 under after a 69.

First-round leader Thongchai Jaidee followed his opening 65 with a 71 to drop into a tie for fifth at 8 under with Mike Weir (66), Tom Gillis (69) and Dicky Pride (70).

Canada’s Stephen Ames sits T9 and 7 under, after shooting 69 during the second round.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Thongchai Jaidee closed with a birdie on the par-3 ninth for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke lead Friday in the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic.

Thongchai, the 51-year-old from Thailand making his fifth senior start, eagled the par-5 15th and had seven birdies and two bogeys at Wakonda Club.

“This golf course very tricky, you have to have a good tee shot and have a good iron and putting very well,” Thongchai said. “I love the golf course. Very challenging. Everything the condition is perfect. … First time on golf course this week. It good thing for me, a golf course you have to think.”

Dicky Pride and Doug Barron were tied for second.

“I had a couple early decent shots that missed the greens and got them up-and-down,” said Pride, the Mitsubishi Electric Classic winner this month “Then just stayed patient. It’s the kind of golf course you can kind of press your luck on, so I tried to stay patient to give myself looks. Just nice and solid.”

Fred Couples was another stroke back at 67 with Rod Pampling, Jerry Kelly, Shane Bertsch, Tom Gillis and Tim Herron. Bernhard Langer, Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry topped the group at 68.

Couples played the course for the first time Friday.

Alex Cejka, coming off his second straight major victory last week in the Senior PGA Championship, opened with a 70.

Canada’s Stephen Ames shot four back from the lead, ending the day with a 68 holding his T10 spot. Mike Weir, T19, wrapped up Friday shooting 2-under in Des Moines, IA.

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz was disqualified for failing to sign his scorecard after a 73. Playing on a sponsor exemption, he was making his fourth start of the year and eighth overall on the tour

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Alex Cejka won the Senior PGA Championship on Sunday for his second straight major championship, thriving on accurate and powerful ball-striking and deft touch around the demanding greens at Southern Hills.

Cejka shot a 3-under 67 for a four-stroke victory over Tim Petrovic, three weeks after he beat Steve Stricker in a playoff in the Regions Tradition in Alabama.

“It’s incredible,” Cejka said. “Seeing and knowing all those names who are up there on the trophy and being on the trophy myself, it’s a dream come true. … Monday when I played for the first time here I walked those fairways and remember seeing this on TV in all those years and I can’t even describe how it feels to be here and touching the trophy. I’m just super blessed. I’m super happy. It’s an incredible feeling right now.”

Cejka fled the Czech Republic with his father at age nine, settling eventually in West Germany, where he took up golf and turned professional at age 18.

Stricker had a one-shot lead going into the final round and many expected another duel to the finish. That duel vanished early, with Stricker’s usually reliable putting failing him greatly. He missed seven putts inside of 8 feet, and his ball-striking also was off, leading to a 77 that dropped into a tie for 11th.

After a birdie at the first, Cejka had a nervous bogey-bogey stretch on Nos. 2 and 3. But with Mike Weir and Stricker making a mess of things around him, he steadily pulled away with birdies on Nos. 5, 7, 11 and 12. From there he held on, getting up-and-down from greenside bunkers and overcoming a water ball on the par-5 13th that led to his only bogey on the back nine. He also drove into a creek on the par-4 10th, but after taking a drop, hit his third shot to 6 feet and saved par.

He finished at 8-under 272.

Cejka said seeing what was happening to Stricker and Mike Weir early was a shock to his system. Weir started the day three shots back and shot 72.

Weir finished tied for fifth, while fellow Canadians Stephen Ames and David Morland IV finished tied for 34th and 72nd, respectfully.

Cejka won three times on the European Tour in 1995 and a fourth event in 2002 before moving to the U.S. He played the PGA Tour from 2002 to 2011 before losing his status, but regained it in 2015, a year he won the Puerto Rico Open for his lone PGA Tour victory.

He joined the PGA Tour Champions without enough career money winnings for full status, and was an alternate into the Tradition. He also finished second in the Chubb Championship in April. He now not only has earned full status, he will be back at Southern Hills in 2022 for the PGA Championship, for which he will be slightly younger than the defending champion Phil Mickelson.

Petrovic also closed with a 67.

Bernhard Langer, Jerry Kelly, Paul McGinley and others waited on the first tee to congratulate Cejka on the torrid start to his senior career and the impressive performance at Southern Hills.

“After he won Regions Tradition, you know, he was really meaningful in saying, `I finally feel like one of you guys,”’ Kelly said. “Now he’s been a great player for a long time and he’s put in so much time. He’s playing the Outlaw Tours in Arizona. He’s played everything he can. He never gave up and this is the reward that’s happening right now. I mean I think it’s an awesome story. He’s a great guy. He works his butt off. He keeps his head down and goes and gets it. I think it’s awesome.”

Retief Goosen, the winner of the 2001 U.S. Open at Southern Hills, had a 66 to tie for third with K.J. Choi at 3 under. Choi briefly tied Cejka for the lead after four birdies in his first seven holes before settling for a 68.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Steve Stricker took advantage of Mike Weir’s back-nine collapse Saturday to take the lead into the final round of the Senior PGA Championship.

Stricker shot a 3-under 67 in a stiff north breeze at Southern Hills for a one-stroke lead over Alex Cejka, the senior newcomer who beat Stricker in a playoff this month in the major Regions Tradition in Alabama.

Stricker was at 6-under 204. Cejka shot 68.

Weir was 8 under through 11 holes, then made a double bogey on 12, starting a stretch of giving back five shots in five holes. The Canadian left-hander finished with a 74, leaving him three strokes behind Stricker, but still in the final group Sunday.

Fellow Canadians Stephen Ames and David Morland IV are tied for 24th and 37th, respectfully.

Cejka, a four-time winner on the European Tour, won his only PGA Tour event in 2015 when he captured the Puerto Rico Open. He played his way onto the PGA Tour Champions as a Monday qualifier and was an alternate in Alabama before getting in the field and eventually winning the Tradition. He was second at the Chubb Classic in April.

“He’s been playing great,” Stricker said. “Yeah, I’m going to have my hands full tomorrow. I mean he’s been playing great and I’m going to have to take care of my own self, my own game and hopefully put up a good score. I know the confidence level that he has must be high if he’s right up there again this week. He started as a Monday qualifier and wins a major and he’s in contention again here this week, so it’s a great story. “

Cejka, a native of Czechoslovakia whose family fled the country for West Germany when he was 10, bogeyed his first two holes then made four birdies and no bogeys the rest of the way. He said he has watched numerous players in the past start with a bang on the senior tour after turning 50.

“I’m riding the wave,” he said. “Let’s hope I’ll ride it for a little bit. I’m playing well and I just want to play as long and as good as possible because eventually it’s going to fade off. I mean, that’s normal, you know? But we’ll see what I can do the next whatever, weeks, months, couple years, who knows.”

Stricker, the 2021 Ryder Cup captain who was 2-0 when playing with a 54-hole lead on the senior circuit before losing to Cejka, played a solid round, making five birdies against two bogeys. He hit his approach shot on the 10th hole to tap-in range, then holed out from a bunker on the 485-yard, par-4 16th that played straight back into the wind.

Weir pushed his tee shot to the left on the par-4 12th behind a tree, punched out, then missed the green right with a short iron and failed to get up and down for the double bogey. He left his third shot short in a bunker on the par-5 13th leading to another bogey, the pushed his tee shot on 15 and wound up missing a par save from 5 feet. His tee shot on 16 found a massive fairway bunker, leading to a layup and another missed par save.

“I was just a little off with my game and this is a tough golf course,” said Weir, the winner in Houston this month. “It’s a demanding course and it will bite you. And I got bit a little bit today on the back side. I’ll go try to iron a couple things out here and try to get a good attitude, some good rest and get ready for tomorrow.”

Beyond those in the final group, Tim Petrovic and K.J. Choi were five back at 1 under. Petrovic shot 68 and Choi 71. Jerry Kelly (69) and Stephen Leaney (71) were even par.

TULSA, Okla., (AP) – Canada’s Mike Weir opened a four-stroke lead Friday in the Senior PGA Championship with a 5-under 65 on a tough Southern Hills layout that baffled most of the players.

That moved Weir to 7 under through 36 holes, with Steve Stricker (68), Rocco Mediate (69) and John Riegger at 3 under. Riegger had three holes left when play was called because of darkness at 8:31 p.m.

Weir, from Brights Grove, Ont., completed his round just minutes earlier.

The 2003 Masters champion beat John Daly in a playoff early this month in the Insperity Invitational in Houston for his first PGA Tour Champions victory.

The left-hander made six birdies against one bogey.

His longest birdie putt was only 10 feet and he made difficult par saves on holes Nos. 7, 8 and 9 – his closing holes – to remain separated from the field.

“It was a really fun round of golf,” Weir said. “It’s a very demanding golf course, so when you have your opportunities and take advantage of them you feel good because you know you’re going to be fighting for some pars on some holes, which I was coming in and made a couple nice par putts to finish off the round nicely.

Stephen Ames of Calgary is tied for 24th at 3 over through two rounds, while David Morland IV of Aurora, Ont., is 8 over with four holes to play in the second round.

Weir’s tee shot on the par-4 seventh stopped a yard from bouncing into a creek, and he made a 9-foot putt to save par. He hit a long bunker shot on the par-3 eighth hole to a few inches. He polished it off with a 5-foot par putt on his final hole.

Stricker began and ended a long day with consecutive bogeys, but still managed to walk off the course with what was then a share of the lead at 3 under. He had 11 holes to complete from his first round and quickly went back out for the second round in windier but drier conditions.

Apparently the disappointing start and finish made it hard to remember all that transpired in between. Asked what club and distance he had on 10 when he holed out from the fairway for an eagle that took him to 5 under, he had a blank look and had to be reminded by the moderator that he made an eagle there.

“Oh. Forgot I did that,” Stricker said. “I had like 107 yards, I think to the hole and right in between clubs, so I just took a wedge and just tried to skip it up the hill there a little bit. And that’s just a bonus, you don’t expect to do anything like that. But it was a nice shot and got me going.”

Mediate also made an eagle from the fairway, hitting a 9-iron from 138 yards into the cup on his third shot on the par-5 fifth hole to move from 2 over back to even par. He then added birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 to play his last five in 4 under.

“I made a few bogeys, but holed a 9-iron on 5 that kind of turned the whole world around,” Mediate said. “It was just one of those things that happens. And then I finished pretty good after that. I was playing OK, a couple over, but it’s easy to do that around this place, this place is total championship golf. It’s really good.”

Stricker’s group included South Africans Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, who won the 2001 U.S. Open at Southern Hills. It drew a large share of the estimated crowd of 8,000 attending on a sunny day with temperatures in the low 70s and a light northerly breeze.

Els made eagle on the drivable par-4 17th and shot even-par 70 to remain at 3 over. Goosen shot 72 and was 1 over. Defending champion from 2019 Ken Tanigawa missed the cut at 8 over (73-75).

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) – Monday qualifier Dicky Pride won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic on Sunday for his first PGA Tour Champions title, closing with a 5-under 67 for a three-stroke victory.

Making his 11th senior start, the 51-year-old Pride had six birdies in an 11-hole stretch before dropping a stroke on the par-4 15th. He parred the final three.

Calgary’s Stephen Ames and Kirk Triplett each shot 70 to tie for second with second-round leader Paul Goydos (72). Brett Quigley (68), Doug Barron (69) and Billy Andrade (72) were another stroke back.

Pride finished at 11-under 205 at TPC Sugarloaf, a week after contending in the major Regions Tradition in his home state of Alabama. He won the 1994 St. Jude Classic for his lone PGA Tour victory and also won a Korn Ferry Tour event in Oregon in 2015.

After an opening 71, Pride had the best scores in the field the last two days, also shooting a 67 on Saturday to pull within two strokes of Goydos.

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz shot 84-77-82 to finish 76th at 27 over, beating fellow former major leaguer Shigetoshi Hasegawa by three strokes to avoid finishing last.

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) – Canada’s Stephen Ames shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Classic.

The 57-year-old Ames had an opening bogey and seven birdies for a one-stroke lead over Paul Goydos.

“I don’t think I had one highlight, I think I was very steady Eddie,” Ames said. “I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens to give myself a lot of opportunities.”

A naturalized Canadian citizen from Trinidad, the four-time PGA Tour champion who calls Calgary home won the 2017 tournament at TPC Sugarloaf for his lone senior title.

“I think a combination of everything,” Ames said. “Hitting the ball really nicely and been working on my putting, a couple things on my putting that came through today, which is nice.”

Goydos played the back nine in 5 under, closing with a birdie on the par-5 18th. The 56-year-old Goydos has five senior victories after winning twice on the PGA Tour.

Gene Sauers followed at 68, and John Huston and Billy Andrade shot 69.

Jim Furyk, 2019 winner Scott McCarron, 2014 champion Miguel Angel Jimenez and Kenny Perry were in the group at 70. McCarron also won two PGA Tour events at TPC Sugarloaf.

Alex Cejka shot 71. He won the Regions Tradition last week in a playoff for his first senior victory, beating Steve Stricker in a playoff.

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz had a quadruple bogey on the par-4 17th and a double bogey on 18 in an 84. He was 79th among the 80 finishers.

Wes Short Jr. shot 85, making five straight double bogeys in the middle of the round.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Defending champion Steve Stricker birdied the final hole Friday for a 3-under 69 to move into a four-way tie for the lead halfway through the Regions Tradition, while Canada’s Stephen Ames is one stroke back.

Stricker joined Madison, Wisconsin, neighbour Jerry Kelly, Monday qualifier Alex Cejka and first-round leader Darren Clarke atop the leaderboard in the first of the PGA Tour Champions’ five majors.

Cejka, who made the field as the first alternate when Jay Haas withdrew, followed his opening 68 with a 69 at Greystone Golf & Country Club. Kelly had a 70 and Clarke shot 71 to get to 7 under.

“I’m just grateful for every start I get,” said Cejka, who was born in Czechoslovakia and grew up in Germany. “I know it’s tough. There’s only 80 guys every week in the field. So many old great players who are privileged out here to play. And I got to prove myself. And if I have to go back to Monday qualifier or do a top 10 to get me in next week, I will do whatever (it) is necessary to do.”u

Stricker had four birdies and a bogey. In 2019, he pulled away for a six-stroke win and his first senior major title. The event was cancelled last year.

“I didn’t do anything dumb today, just hung around,” Stricker said. “We’re only halfway home, so we have a weekend to go.

“Someone’s going to probably bust out of this pack, I would imagine. The wind is supposed to switch directions for the weekend, so that will shake thing up probably a little bit, too.”

Cejka tied for second at the Chubb Classic after winning the Monday qualifier.

It was a huge turnaround from a rocky PGA Tour Champions debut in February when he closed with a 78 in Arizona.

Ames, from Calgary, is one of three players one stroke off the lead. The others are Dicky Pride and Ernie Els.

Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., who won his first career PGA Tour Champions event last week, is eight shots off the lead at 1 over.

Two-time champion Bernhard Langer’s 69 put him only two strokes back in pursuit of his 12th PGA Tour Champions major title.

Ames, who started on No. 10, held the lead going into the final two holes. He fell back with a double bogey on the par-4 eighth hole after making only one bogey on the first 34.

Pride, who lives about an hour away in Tuscaloosa, hasn’t finished better than 12th in nine PGA Tour Champions events.

He cycled through an adventurous round to move into contention. Pride, son of former University of Alabama golf coach Dick Pride, had four bogeys and five birdies.

He sandwiched two of the bogeys around an eagle on the par-5 No. 2 hole and finished with another misfire. Pride had struggled on the PGA Tour’s developmental Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, finishing 62nd in the only tournament he completed and earning $1,588.

“I need to cut out the bogeys,” Pride said. “I need to play a little bit more consistent.”

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Former Masters champion Mike Weir won his first PGA Tour Champions event Sunday when he held steady with pars down the stretch for a 4-under 68 and let John Daly made the last mistake in the Insperity Invitational.

Weir and Daly were tied going down the stretch at The Woodlands, which was reduced to 36 holes because of heavy rain earlier in the week.

Daly, playing in the group ahead of Weir, was posing over his 9-iron over the water to the 18th green when it came up a fraction short and splashed next to the bulkhead. He made double bogey for a 69 and had to settle for runner-up.

Weir, who missed birdie chances inside 10 feet on the 16th and 17th holes, watched it all unfold and knew what he had to do. He fired his approach to about 15 feet behind the hole, and pumped his fist as he walked toward the green. He wound up winning by two shots.

Because of rain that washed out the opening round Friday, the first round wasn’t finished until Sunday morning and the tournament was reduced to 36 holes. That turned it into a shootout, and Daly and Weir provided most of the action.

Daly holed a 25-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th to take a two-shot lead, and it looked as though he was on his way. In the next group, Weir hit his approach to 3 feet on the 13th for a matching eagle to tie for the lead again.

Weir fell back with a bogey on the 14th, but he caught a break when Daly missed his 3-wood into the par-5 15th and had to settle for par, and Weir made birdie to catch him again.

Weir fell back with a bogey on the 14th, but he caught a break when Daly missed his 3-wood into the par-5 15th and had to settle for par, and Weir made birdie to catch him again.

Daly couldn’t believe he hit into the water on the final hole.

“I caught a gust on 18,” he said. “I hit a 9-iron from about 155 and I hit a 9-iron from 141 there and I caught a gust and just got a bad break. But I can’t hit the ball any better. I’m excited about next week.”

The 50-and-over circuit plays the first of its five majors next week at the Regions Tradition.

Weir finished at 10-under 134.

Daly tied for second with David Toms and Tim Petrovic, who each closed with a 71. Bernhard Langer (69) and Bob Estes (68) tied for fifth.

CALGARY—The Shaw Charity Classic is preparing for a safe return of golf’s greatest names on the PGA TOUR Champions to Calgary’s Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, August 11-15, 2021, in an effort to make a positive difference in the lives of thousands of children across more than 230 youth-based charities in Alberta.

After taking a one-year pause in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tournament staff have begun working with all levels of government, along with the PGA TOUR Champions and its players to make plans for a safe return of the Shaw Charity Classic in 2021.  

“We are absolutely thrilled to be back on the PGA TOUR Champions schedule this year in August, and are thankful to all of our corporate partners for sticking with us during these unprecedented times as we develop a plan to safely welcome golf’s best back to Calgary,” said Sean Van Kesteren, executive director, Shaw Charity Classic, who added the tournament annually generates a direct economic impact of $33.1 million to the City of Calgary.

“Ultimately, we are excited to bring back one of Calgary’s signature summer events and generate some energy, excitement and community spirit throughout the city.”

Van Kesteren and his team are hopeful the 2021 edition of the Shaw Charity Classic will be able to have some level of fan participation, and are prepared to modify the structure of the event in order to continue following provincial health and safety guidelines.

“The safety of our community is, and always will be, the top priority. We remain committed to building a modified version of our traditional Tournament week activities while continuing to work with the City of Calgary, Alberta Health Services and the Government of Canada to host this award-winning event,” added Van Kesteren.

Plans for this year’s tournament week include hosting Blakes Women’s Day, August 9, and the RBC Championship Pro-Am, August 11-12, followed by three rounds of tournament play to determine the winner of 2021 Shaw Charity Classic from August 13-15.

Tournament officials have also reinforced their unwavering commitment to ensuring the community spirit of the Shaw Charity Classic continues in 2021 by confirming it will support 233 youth-based charities this year through its Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink program.

Despite being forced to cancel the 2020 edition of the event due to COVID-19 restrictions, the charitable arm of the tournament continued and successfully raised more than $12.5 million to bring the tournament’s eight-year charitable contribution to $61.1 million.

“Charity has always been at the heart of the Shaw Charity Classic, and it is now moreso than ever given the challenging times our communities are facing,” added Van Kesteren. “We are incredibly grateful for the generous contributions this event has received to make a positive impact on the hundreds of thousands of youth across Alberta who rely on charitable organizations for support in areas such as food, healthcare, mental wellness, art, literacy, sport and so much more – especially in this time of crisis. But we also know the work can’t stop now. Working with Shaw, AltaLink and our other corporate partners, the Patron Group and Canadians who have rallied together to support the charities through this much-needed fundraising platform, we are committed to building on the tournament’s legacy of giving this summer, and in the future.”