In bid for his first PGA TOUR Champions title, Leonard leads Hall-of-Famer Els by a shot at the Chubb Classic
By Doug Milne
NAPLES, Fla. - Amid warm temperatures and mostly sunny skies Saturday, round two of the Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO got underway fronted by a duo tied at the top at 7-under 65.
Not only do 18-hole co-leaders Paul Stankowski and Mario Tiziani remain in search of their first PGA TOUR Champions victory, but they’re also both still angling for exempt status to afford them the opportunity just to compete week in and out in their bids for those maiden titles.
By the time the humble duo teed off at 12:45 p.m., hard-hitting pursuers like Justin Leonard and Ernie Els were already under par for the round in pursuit of the top spot….positions each has held on multiple occasions.
Making his second start in the Chubb Classic and first since finishing T6 in last year’s rain-shortened event, Leonard ended Friday’s round of 4-under 68 with consecutive birdies on Nos. 16-18.
Like Stankowski and Tiziani, Leonard is also in search of PGA TOUR Champions win No. 1.
His 45 starts before this week is highlighted by a runner-up finish at the 2023 PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach, where he succumbed to Thongchai Jaidee in sudden death.
In Saturday’s second round, the University of Texas Longhorn birdied four of his first seven holes and an additional four on the inward nine at 11, 12, 14 and 18.
“I hit some really good wedges on the front nine, which was something I struggled with a little bit in the two pro-ams this week,” Leonard said. “If you drive the ball well here, you are going to have some wedges. The contact and distance control weren’t quite right. I worked on it Thursday and Friday afternoons and think it paid off. I was hitting my numbers nicely.”
The adjustment Leonard focused on surrounded full swings. Well, kind of.
“This golf course, with all its wedges, you’ve got to be able to have those ¾ shots taking 4-5 yards off,” he explained. “It wasn’t so much of a swing adjustment as it was the need to just get over to the range and practice.”
His birdie at the final hole in round two followed a bogey at the challenging par-4 17th, where he played his approach shot from the wet bank of a pond.
“I hit the shot and all I saw was mud,” Leonard said. “I’m just glad the ball came out and got on the green. I gave myself an opportunity to make par, but (did get a) good birdie at the last.”
At 11-under 133, the 1997 Open Championship winner leads by a stroke over Els, the 2002 and 2012 winner of the Open Championship.
Leonard’s 45 starts on PGA TOUR Champions before this week is highlighted by a runner-up finish at the 2023 PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach, where he succumbed to Thongchai Jaidee in sudden death.
“As for tomorrow, Ernie’s right there and I felt like this was kind of his Tour last year,” Leonard said. "He’s obviously off to a great start with a first and a third these past two weeks, so it’s going to take a similar round to the one I had today. I know I’m capable. The main thing is to just not worry about the score or where I am. I just need to go out, play my game and enjoy where I am. It’s another day to go learn and do what I know I’m capable of.”
Leonard is making his third start of the season and comes off a T8 at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and T19 at last week’s Trophy Hassan II in Morocco.
After that “first and third” at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and Trophy Hassan II, respectively, Els opened the Chubb Classic with back-to-back 5-under 67s.
“The key to tomorrow is to just go out and play solid golf,” Els said. “The wind picked up today…tough scoring. But, Justin is a tough competitor. There are a bunch of guys behind us, so we just got to put the foot on the gas.”
The sting from his round’s only hit – a double bogey at the par-3 7th – was eased by seven birdies. Els was unable to capitalize on birdie putts inside 10 feet on each of the final three holes in round two.
“I just want to play solid golf, stay in it,” said Els. “I’ve got a bit of a run going, but it's going to be a tough day and Justin’s a tough competitor…so are about 10 other guys within three shots. I’ve just got to try and get going and shoot a good score.”
In Els’ most recent three starts at Tiburon Golf Club, the World Golf Hall of Fame member finished T10 in 2022 and 2023, before improving to T3 last year.
In round one, Heath Slocum followed 16 straight pars to start his round with back-to-back birdies to finish at 2-under 70. On Saturday, the Florida panhandle resident kept the heat on, making three birdies and an eagle to turn in 5-under 30. On his inward nine, the 51-year-old would offset two bogeys and a double bogey with four birdies to sign for a 5-under 67 and get to 7-under 137.
With one top-10 finish in 26 Champions Tour starts before this week, Slocum remains in search of his first win on the 50-and-over circuit. In one previous appearance at the Chubb Classic, he finished T41 in last year’s rain-shortened event (36 holes).
Paul Stankowski and Mario Tiziani, who shared the 18-hole lead after matching 65s, signed for a 1-under 71 and 1-over 73, respectively.
Unable to mount much of a charge through the first 36-holes, defending Chubb Classic champion Stephen Ames will begin Sunday’s final round 10 strokes back at 1-under 143.
In his bid for a sixth Chubb Classic title, Bernhard Langer opened with scores of 72-68 and is at 4-under 140, seven strokes off Leonard’s lead.
