Langer shoots 63 to lead TimberTech by one shot
Bernhard Langer couldn’t make a putt in the first round of the TimberTech Championship.
In Saturday’s second round, he couldn’t miss one.
The hometown Hall of Famer needed only 21 putts to fire a 9-under-par 63 — beating his age by two shots — to take a oneshot lead over Paul Goydos into the final round of the TimberTech Championship at Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club.
“Certainly, the putter was working today,” said Langer, who switched putters after the first round. “That was really the missing piece the last few weeks and months. Felt I was striking the ball fairly well many a day, just not making any putts. And today actually wasn’t necessarily my best ball-striking day, but I made a bunch of putts.”
Langer birdied his first three holes, had three more in a row early on the back nine and made 10 birdies during his 63. The World Golf Hall of Famer is at 11-under 133.
The Boca Raton resident always seems like he’s at home in the TimberTech Championship. In 14 previous starts, he’s the only player to win the event twice and he’s had three seconds and two thirds. He has made almost $1.4 million in this event alone.
Langer is two wins behind Hale Irwin’s career record of 45 titles on the PGA Tour Champions. Langer insists he won’t be thinking about the record during Sunday’s final round.
“I’m just going to hopefully think about what’s at hand, one shot at a time,” Langer said. “The cliche, but that’s really what’s important. There’s a lot of great golfers behind me and they’re going to play attacking golf, so I’ve got my hands full, and I’ve got to play a good round of golf.”
Goydos, who won the 2015 TimberTech Championship, eagled the par-4 16th and birdied the par-5 18th to shoot 66 and shave Langer’s lead from four to one. Goydos knows he will have a tough challenge to beat Langer.
Rod Pampling (69) is in third place, four shots behind Langer at 7-under 137.
PGA TOUR
Russell Henley rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on his first hole and never really let up Saturday until he had a 6-under 65 and doubled the size of his lead to six shots in the World Wide Technology at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
This is the sixth time Henley has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour, and while he has converted only one of them into a victory — his rookie start in 2013 in Hawaii — he has never had a lead like this.
Will Gordon bogeyed the 18th hole for a 68 to fall even farther back, tied with
Patton Kizzire, who had a 67.
Henley was at 22-under 191, breaking his career low for the opening 54 holes on the PGA Tour by one shot.
He had a 192 in the Sony Open in January, ultimately losing in a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama.
Equally impressive by Henley was going bogeyfree, the only player in the field who has yet to drop a shot at El Camaleon. Henley sure had his chances.
He put his tee shot into the hazard on the 428-yard second hole, took a penalty drop and then hit his approach to 4 feet to save par.
Henley will be going for his fourth career victory, and first since the 2017 Houston Open.
LPGA TOUR
Momoko Ueda of Japan shot a 4-under 68 to take a one-stoke lead after three rounds of the Toto Classic in Shiga, Japan.
Ueda also held a oneshot lead after the second round.
Ueda, who had a threeround total of 14-under 202, is one shot ahead of Gemma Dryburgh, who shot a 65 for the best round of the day. Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand also had a 65 but was far off the pace at the Seta Golf Course in western Japan. Ueda won this tournament in 2007 and 2011.
Japanese player Miyu Yamashita shot a 69 and was two strokes back.