Both Darren Clarke and Pádraig Harrington bettered their opening efforts in Saturday’s second round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic but that still wasn’t enough to see them battle at the top for a chance to lead, as South African Hall of Famer Ernie Els pulled away from the pack with a two-stroke lead at 11-under.
A bogey start for Clarke was not how the 57-year-old would’ve liked to start his day but the 2011 Open winner quickly turned it around with a birdie on the third.
Taking the turn at even-par, Clarke picked up the pace as he started the back nine with two birdies. Disaster struck at 12 as Clarke made a double bogey to see his work be undone and return back to even-par before closing out on a high, making three birdies to post a three-under-par 69 to sit T13 at five-under.
Harrington is still looking to find some bit of form as the 54-year-old is struggling to put in the performances that won him the U.S. Senior Open and the ISPS HANDA Senior Open earlier this year.
Starting on the back nine, it was another slow start for Harrington who saw three bogeys on the his opening nine, but he managed to scramble some birdies to take the turn at one-over.
Harrington’s best work came on the front nine, as he made birdie at the second, fifth and sixth to post a two-under-par 70 to sit T36 at two-under.
At the top of the leaderboard, Ernie Els is the only player in the field to not make bogey still weekend as the South African posted a five-under-par 67 to get to 11-under leading by two.
Six-time Charles Schwab Cup winner Bernhard Langer trails by two at T2 on nine-under in bid for his record-extending 48th victory on PGA TOUR Champions. Langer is seeking his first victory since winning the 2024 Charles Schwab Cup Championship as the German has at least one win in each of his first 17 seasons on Tour before this season.
2009 PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang joins Langer in T2 on nine-under following a round of five-under 67, which included birdies on three of his final four holes.
World Golf Hall of Fame member Retief Goosen trails by three in T4 at eight-under in a bid for his fifth victory in his 142nd PGA TOUR Champions start.
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