Golf
Associated Press 8y

Billy Andrade, Joe Durant, Todd Hamilton tied for Champions lead

Golf

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Billy Andrade used a record-setting round to join a crowded leaderboard at the Wakonda Club.

Andrade shot a course-best 9-under 63 on Saturday for a share of the second-round lead with Joe Durant and Todd Hamilton in the PGA Tour Champions' Principal Charity Classic.

Durant had a 65 and Hamilton shot a 67 to match Andrade at 10-under 134.

Andrade broke the course record of 64 set by Bart Bryant in 2013 and matched by Bill Glasson in 2014. Andrade also tied the tournament record of 62 set by Kirk Triplett in 2012 at Glen Oaks.

"How about that?" Andrade said. "Anybody can do what I did, that's how good everybody is. When they got hot, they can flush it out."

Miguel Angel Jimenez (67) and Tom Lehman (68) were two strokes back, and Senior PGA winner Rocco Mediate (67) was 8 under along with Scott McCarron (68) and first-round leader John Inman (71).

John Daly, the senior newcomer who helped draw a record opening-round crowd on Friday, shot his second straight 74 to drop to 4 over.

Andrade had a topsy-turvy trip to Iowa in 2015, shooting 66-76-66. But he was able to close about as well as anyone has on this course on Saturday, posting birdies on six of the final seven holes to set the mark at a course the senior circuit first visited in 2013.

A 20-foot birdie putt on No. 13 kicked off a strong finish for Andrade, who entered the weekend winless on the season but fifth on the money list.

"This course is pretty easy. (But) when you're off a little bit, it can play really hard," Andrade said. "I hit a few more fairways and I was putting well."

Durant made birdie on No. 18 after a chip shot landed within a foot of the hole. Durant also birdied six of his final seven holes to put himself in contention for his first individual win on the senior tour.

Durant tied for second in Iowa last year.

"I played good here last year and came up one short, and I know what I have to do on Sunday to win a golf tournament," Durant said. "I just need to go out and shoot a good round of golf."

Hamilton, still searching for his first win since the British Open in 2004, grabbed a share of the lead despite a chaotic back nine. Hamilton made par just once, but a birdie on the par-3 18th hole pulled him even with Andrade and Durant.

"I haven't been making any putts, really, for a while," Hamilton said. "I think I might have gotten my share, for sure, especially on the back nine."

Jimenez, who has a win and a pair of top-10s in just three senior tournaments this year, survived a double-bogey to shoot 5-under and move within a shot of the leaders entering Sunday.

Inman, the surprise two-stroke leader Friday, had a one-shot lead heading to the 17th hole. But he put his tee shot and subsequent chip from the drop zone into the water and took a triple-bogey.

^ Back to Top ^