McCarron leads Charles Schwab Cup Championship
Scott McCarron moved into position to win the PGA Tour Champions’ season points race, birdieing the final two holes Saturday for a one-stroke lead in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
McCarron shot a 5-under 66 on another warm and sunny day at Phoenix Country Club. To win the Charles Schwab Cup and a $1 million annuity, McCarron needs to win the tournament Sunday and have Bernhard Langer – tied for 19th at 7 under – tie for fourth or worse.
“All I’m trying to do is put myself in position to win this golf tournament,” McCarron said. “Whatever happens with the Schwab Cup, I really can’t control that. That’s up to some other guys.”
The 53-year-old McCarron, fifth in the points standings entering the finale, has eight victories on the 50-and-over tour, winning twice this year. He won three times on the PGA Tour.
Langer had a 66 after shooting two 70s.
McCarron had an 18-under 195 total. Stephen Ames and Tim Petrovic were tied for second.
Ames had a 61. He birdied four of the first five holes and closed birdie-parbirdie-eagle. Petrovic shot a 66.
Second-round leader Paul Goydos had a 69 to drop two strokes back.
Season title contender David Toms (65) was at 12 under with Vijay Singh (67), Wes Short Jr. (65), Glen Day (65) and Marco Dawson (67).
Langer and No. 2 Scott Parel (tied for 21st at 6 under after a 68) would take the Cup with a tournament victory, while McCarron, Toms, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Madison’s Jerry Kelly need a win and help from other players. Kelly (68) was tied for 11th at 10 under, and Jimenez (69) was 32nd in the 35-man field at even par.
PGA Tour: Matt Kuchar had another rough hole and enough birdies to atone for it, posting a 6-under 65 to open a four-shot lead in the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Kuchar hit a wild drive to the right into mangroves on the par-4 14th and had to get up-and-down to salvage a bogey. That was the only big mistake for Kuchar, who is going after his first PGA Tour title in more than four years.
He saved par from just off the green at the 18th to finish at 20-under 193, four shots ahead of Whee Kim, who had a 66.
It matches the largest 54-hole lead of Kuchar’s career. He also led by four at the Houston Open in 2014, when he wound up losing to Matt Jones in a playoff.
Richy Werenski and Danny Lee each shot 67 and were five shots back, followed by a group that included PGA Tour rookie of the year Aaron Wise (63) and Cameron Champ (69). Champ, who played in the final group with Kuchar and Lee, already won this season at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk had a 66 and was at 13-under 200. Also seven shots behind was Anirban Lahiri of India, who was tied with Kuchar early on the front line and still in the mix until a double bogey on the 14th hole and a bogey on the 16th. He had to settle for a 69.
LPGA Tour: Gaby Lopez won her first Tour event with a 1-over 73 to finish one shot ahead of Ariya Jutanugarn in the Blue Bay tournament in Hainan Island, China.
Lopez had bogeys on the last two holes at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Club on Saturday and almost let the title slip away. She finished at 8-under 280.
Playing in a group with Lopez, No. 1ranked Jutanugarn had a birdie on the final hole to also finish on 73.