Six birdies, one bogey, and just like that
Henrik Stenson needed a spark. He found it on Saturday at Pebble Beach.
The Swede carded a 67, five under par, with birdies at 2, 6, 7, 14, 17 and 18. Just one bogey, at the 4th. He climbed four spots to grab the lead after 36 holes of the PURE Insurance Championship, sitting on 136, eight under.
There are three men tied at that mark. Ryan Armour and Y.E. Yang are right there with him. The South Korean had led by three after a sparkling 64 on Friday at Pebble Beach. On Saturday at Spyglass Hill, he posted a level-par 72: bogeys at 1 and 2 out of the gate, birdies at 8 and 9 to get back to par, then a bogey-birdie swap on the back nine.
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Armour survived thanks to the putter
Armour, meanwhile, put together a 69 at Spyglass. Birdies at 3, 10, 14 and 15, bogey at 16. And a blunt admission afterwards.
“I drove it badly for me, I missed fairways and ended up in places I am not used to seeing,” he said. “But the iron play was solid, I was often below the hole. Then I rolled in putts on the back nine. If I can get out of here at three under at Spy, I am happy.”
Zach Johnson and New Zealander Steven Alker are one shot back, both on 68. Paul Goydos, Kirk Triplett and Australian Michael Wright are tied on six under.
A season that is only just getting going
Stenson is 50 and still finding his feet on the senior circuit. He has six PGA Tour wins behind him, including the 2016 British Open, and his first senior season only got under way late: the Senior PGA Championship in April, then the US Senior Open in July. This is just his sixth event.
“I had eight and a half months without competition until April, and it really kicked on from the US Senior Open,” he admitted. “I feel like I am still a work in progress, but there is more good than bad. We keep grinding, keep working on things. It is nice to be in this position. We will see tomorrow.”
So Sunday it is. Three players, 18 holes, and a Swede still trying to get fully dialled in.
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