Bernhard Langer shot his age once again to put himself in position to extend his PGA Tour Champions winning streak to 18 years.
The 67-year-old German star with a Champions-record 46 career victories, had a 4-under-par 67 Saturday at Phoenix Country Club to take a one-stroke lead in the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship. He has shot his age or better 22 times on the tour.
“I’ve got to continue to play aggressive and hit as many fairways as I possibly can and as many greens,” Langer said. “The key for me is making putts. I’ve got to try and hit 15, 16, 17 greens in regulation if I can and make a bunch of putts.”
He has fought back after tearing his left Achilles playing pickleball in February.
“It would mean a great deal because of what I’ve been through this year,” Langer said. “And also, I didn’t win this year. It’s the first time in my Champions Tour career that I didn’t win in a season. So yeah, there will be a little extra effort tomorrow.”
Defending champion Steven Alker, second behind Ernie Els in the season standings, was second after a 63 — poised to pass Els for the $1 million bonus. Els was tied for 14th after a 71.
“The whole goal was to defend the championship this week and, if I do that, then the Schwab Cup’s a bonus,” Alker said. Alker had a run of five straight birdies, but closed with six straight pars.
PGA — Justin Lower made an 11-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th for a share of the lead in the World Wide Technology Championship with Nico Echavarria and Carson Young in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Lower shot a 9-under 63 in diminished wind conditions to match his best round on the PGA Tour and join Echavarria (68) and Young (67) at 16-under 200 at Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante.
“There’s 18 holes tomorrow on a very scorable golf course,” Lower said. “I think the wind’s going to stay down again, so I have to go out and basically shoot probably somewhere between 5- and 9-under again. It’s just the way the scores are out here. If the wind’s down, scores are going to be low.”
The 35-year-old American birdied the par-4 17th in the bogey-free round. He’s trying to win for the first time on the tour.
LPGA — A Lim Kim won the Lotte Championship for her second LPGA Tour title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over playing partner Nataliya Guseva in Honolulu.
A stroke ahead of Guseva entering the day at breezy Hoakalei Country Club, Kim ended a six-hole par streak with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
European — Rory McIlroy’s charge at the Abu Dhabi Championship in the United Arab Emirates faltered when he found water off his drive and made double bogey on the last hole, leaving him five shots off the lead held by Paul Waring heading into the final round.
Nine strokes off the lead after 36 holes, the No. 3-ranked McIlroy had closed to just three shots back in the third round when he pulled his tee shot on the par-5 No. 18, the ball bouncing off the rocks lining the fairway and ricocheting into the water.
After a drop, McIlroy then hit an approach — his fourth shot — into the greenside bunker and could only make a 7, for a 3-under 69 and 13 under overall.
