Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke shot matching 69s on day one of the PGA Tour Champions’ Hoag Classic, and they shadowed each other again with 68s on day two to share 21st at -5.
Harrington made five birdies and two bogeys, while Clarke made one fewer of each but with scoring low in the second round, they’ve fallen seven shots behind the lead which is shared by two of the most popular characters on the circuit in Fred Couples and Miguel Angel Jiménez who moved to -11 after each carding rounds of -7.
For 65-year-old Couples, it was yet another round in which he beat his age, and he admitted that it had been on his mind as he put the finishing touches on the round.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” he said. “I actually was thinking about it on 18. I took out my 3-wood this week, and it’s worked great. I’ve been using a 3-rescue, but I actually just told myself, just hook it, so I had a lot of green and I didn’t hit a great shot, but it drew a good lot.
“Miguel was making so many birdies and I was just trying to keep up with him, and we’ll be battling tomorrow with some other guys finishing strong.”
They hold a one-stroke lead over Freddie Jacobson in solo third, with Michael Allen an additional shot in arrears.
Ernie Els, Steven Alker and Stewart Cink are among the quintet sharing fifth at -8, meaning a star-studded final round is in store at Newport Beach Country Club in California.
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