Darren Clarke shot a two-under 68 to climb one place to T4 but moving day at the Kaulig Companies Championship belonged to Zach Johnson who opened a four-stroke gap at the top.
Clarke made four birdies and two bogeys to inch a step closer to claiming a best finish in the senior major at Firestone Country Club having previously taken a T12 placing in 2021, but Champions Tour rookie Johnson – a two-time major winner having claimed a Masters title and an Open Championship – made five birdies on his way out and added two more on the way back to take firm control.
“Yeah, it was really solid,” Johnson said. “I don’t know if it was easy, but it was not difficult. I hit it pretty close on 1, hit it very close on 2. Actually kind of got hosed on 2, my second shot. 3 was a par, 4 and 5 I made nice putts but I was pin high. Today was a pin high day, it was crazy. And a good thing. If you needed to be short, you needed to be long, certain hole placements for the most part I did that.
“The front nine was as solid of nine holes as I’ve played in I couldn’t tell you how long.”
His closest challenger is now Miguel Ángel Jiménez, after the Spaniard went one better and shot an eight-under 62 to move to -9 overall, four behind Johnson.
He said he was buoyed by Spain’s win over Belgium in the World Cup the night before, but that he felt like any other day going to the golf course.
“No. I feel good like every day, I feel nice,” he said. “Yesterday after playing I went to see the football match where we beat Belgium yesterday and that made you feel good, too.
“No, I feel good, I feel nice. Let everything come to you. That’s the way.”
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