Stricker fires a 63, trails Durant by one stroke in Chubb Classic
Joe Durant birdied five of the last eight holes for a 9-under 63 to match Steve Stricker’s Saturday finish and take the second-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic in Naples, Fla.
Durant rebounded from a three-putt bogey on the par-4 10th with birdies on the next two holes and also birdied Nos. 15-17. He had a 14-under 130 total on TwinEagles’ Talon course for a one-stroke lead over Stricker.
“You’re going to laugh at me when I tell you this, but it was actually a par I made on my first hole,” Durant said. “I pulled my tee shot left, went into a bush and had to take an unplayable, had to drop back and hit an 8-iron about 15 feet and made par and it was kind of like, ‘OK, well, maybe the putter is going to work today.’”
Stricker, who is from Madison, had nine birdies in a bogey-free round.
“I look forward to playing with Steve,” Durant said. “He’s a class act, one of my buddies out here, and obviously he is playing well and he had a great round today. It will be a shootout tomorrow, no question, but it will be fun.”
The 53-year-old Durant has two PGA Tour Champions victories after winning four times on the PGA Tour.
The 50-year-old Stricker is making his first start of the year on the 50-andover tour after playing six tournaments last year — a runner-up finish in his debut and three third-place ties but not a victory.
“That’s why I’m here, to try to win the golf tournament,” the 12-time PGA Tour winner said.
He played the last two weeks on the PGA Tour, tying for 31st in the Phoenix Open and tying for 26th at Pebble Beach.
“You can be a little more patient on the big tour because pars sometimes are good scores,” Stricker said. “Out here you need to make some birdies and when you see guys running away, that’s when you lose your patience, at least I did yesterday.”
Playing alongside John Daly, Stricker birdied three of the last four on the front nine and birdied the last two for a backnine 31.
PGA Tour: Bubba Watson started with a tap-in eagle and finished with a 6-under 65 to build a one-shot lead in the Genesis Open in Los Angeles.
Watson is a two-time winner at Riviera who hasn’t won in two years.
Watson was at 10-under 203, one shot ahead of UCLA alum Patrick Cantlay, who holed a 55-foot birdie putt on his last hole for a 69.
LPGA Tour: Jin Young Ko continued her domination of the Women’s Australian Open, shooting a 1-under 71 to increase her lead to four strokes after three rounds.
Australian golfer Hannah Green moved into second place after the round of the day, a 66.