Els, Chalmers share 1-shot lead at Senior PGA

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Ernie Els saved the errors to a minimal down the stretch Saturday and hit wedge in tight for birdie on his last gap for a 2-under 69, giving him a share of the lead with Greg Chalmers going into the ultimate spherical of the Senior PGA Championship.

Chalmers, the left-handed Australian famend for his placing, had a 66 whereas making solely two bogeys, not a foul mark on the Harbor Shores course that gave so many suits.

Els, a four-time main champion and among the many better of his era, is in nice place to lastly get a primary main title on the senior circuit. That is his seventeenth senior main, and even he was shocked to be atop the leaderboard.

They had been at 10-under 203.

Richard Bland of England, the LIV Golf participant who acquired into his first senior main from an exemption class he did not know existed, began out at 12-under par after which started a fast slide by way of tentative placing and shot 74 to fall one shot behind.

“I am lucky sufficient to be up there,” Els stated. “You already know, 10 beneath is main in the intervening time; 12 beneath was main yesterday. I performed strong. I did not play spectacular, however performed strong sufficient to get myself up there.”

There was sufficient wind, troublesome pin positions and hard greens on the Jack Nicklaus design that it took almost six hours for the 83 gamers who made the lower to finish the third spherical.

“Hopefully, we will transfer higher tomorrow,” Els stated.

There might be loads of motion on the leaderboard. Harbor Shores yielded its share of birdies, notably on the par 5s that had been downwind, however it did not take a lot for gamers to get out of place and discover themselves scrambling for par.

Even so, it was crowded on the high.

Bland and Chris DiMarco, who did not make a birdie on the again 9 in his spherical of 71, had been one shot behind. Richard Green of Australia had two eagles and nonetheless solely managed a 70 after a bogey on the ultimate gap.

The 4 gamers who had been three photographs behind included defending champion Steve Stricker, former British Open champion Stewart Cink and Jason Caron, a former PGA Tour participant and one of many membership execs competing within the Senior PGA Championship.

Chalmers ran off 5 straight birdies beginning on No. 6 to take the lead earlier than his golf acquired a “little scratchy” on the again 9. It was the management of irons that left him considering he has a superb likelihood to seize his first senior main.

“Not tremendous comfy with my driver right this moment, however I used to be very comfy with each different space of my sport,” Chalmers stated. “So if I can simply get that squared away for tomorrow, see if we will get on the market and compete. Appears to be like fairly bunched up in the intervening time, so ought to be an thrilling day, hopefully.”

Bland struggled with the wind, distance management and his placing. He made 4 bogeys in a stretch of six holes across the flip – he made par on the downwind, par-5 ninth, which felt like a bogey – and located himself as many as two photographs behind.

He birdied the par-3 seventeenth to get inside considered one of Els and Chalmers, and it gave him a dose of perspective. A part of him is completely satisfied to be within the subject. He was not conscious of a one-time exemption for gamers who’ve gained within the final 5 years on the European tour.

Bland could not use it final 12 months as a result of it conflicted with LIV Golf Bedminster. However he was in a position to make use of it this 12 months, and he goes into the final spherical only one shot behind.

“If somebody supplied you a shot off the lead in the beginning of the week, in all probability would’ve taken it. Would not fairly really feel nearly as good as that proper now, however simply acquired to get on with it,” Bland stated. “Been round sufficient to know that you’ll have some poor days. After all you’re. However perform a little bit of labor now and simply attempt to get slightly little bit of simply higher.”