By J.R. De GROOTE ADVERTISING By J.R. De GROOTE Stephens Media Hawaii KAUPULEHU-KONA — It was another perfect day on the westside of the Big Island on Saturday, which led to a flood of low scores at the Mitsubishi Electric
By J.R. De GROOTE
Stephens Media Hawaii
KAUPULEHU-KONA — It was another perfect day on the westside of the Big Island on Saturday, which led to a flood of low scores at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
Late birdies on the 17th hole gave Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer a share of the lead at 14-under and a host of others were within striking distance at double-digits under-par entering the final day of the opening event of the Champions Tour season.
“I started off the way I finished yesterday,” said Langer, who tied a course-record 30 on the front-nine. “I got off to a nice start today, drove nicely and hit some good irons and putts. You have to shoot low here. If you shoot even-par you will get lapped when the conditions are like this.”
Langer injured his thumb in the Pro-Am event earlier in the week and has been playing through the pain. The two-time Masters champion played the round with a wrap around his thumb, but he said the pain has mostly subsided.
“I played yesterday and it hurt quite a bit but today was a lot better,” Langer said. “I didn’t have much pain at all today, so that was encouraging.”
While his thumb is feeling better, Langer now has to battle a mental hurdle. Langer has finished in the top 10 in each of his last 11 tournaments — including runner-up finishes at the Senior Open Championship and Charles Schwab Cup Championship — but has failed to record a victory.
“It has been frustrating,” Langer said. “I have been leading almost every weekend I have played, whether it was the first day, second or third, so I’m ready for some more wins.”
Couples got away with a hooked shot on the seventh hole Friday, when a fortunate bounce helped his ball out of the lava and onto the green, just eight feet from the hole for an easy eagle.
He was not as lucky Saturday.
On the 14th hole, Couples hooked a ball into the rocks and had to take a drop after the ball was declared unplayable.
“Once again, I would say I putted well and drove it well, until a couple of those swings,” Couples said. “I hooked into the lava on 14 and hooked it again on 15, but had some nice shots down the stretch.”
Couples saved par on No. 14, but it was a missed opportunity for the co-leader on one of Hualalai’s undemanding par-5s. Through two rounds, 177 birdies and 23 eagles have been recorded on the course’s four par-5 holes.
“I played the par 5s just 2-under today,” Couples said. “The scores here are crazy every year. It’s one of those things where I don’t pay attention until I come in Sunday. This year I’m just playing. I’ve made a lot of birdies and (Sunday) I have to do the same and worry about it when I’m done.”
After another impressive showing on the front nine, Mark O’Meara sits just one shot back of the leaders in sole possession of third place.
“Anybody within three or four shots of the lead can play a hot round tomorrow and have a great shot of winning this thing,” O’Meara said. “There’s a lot of things that can still happen tomorrow. To win any tournament you are not going to back into it — you have to shoot a low score.”
David Frost, thhe 2013 runner-up, Jeff Sluman and Steve Elkington are in a log jam at 12-under.
First-round leader Rocco Mediate came back down to earth with a 2-under 70 on Saturday, but seemed bothered by a hip injury that nearly sidelined him before teeing off Friday. Throughout the round Mediate could be seeing laying on the greens trying to stretch out and favored the left side while walking.
Mediate enters the final day of his first trip to Hualalai three shots back of the leaders.
Champions Tour
Mitsubishi Electric
Scores
Saturday
At Hualalai Golf Course
Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii
Purse: $1.8 million
Yardage: 7,107; Par 72
Second Round
Bernhard Langer66-64—130
Fred Couples65-65—130
Mark O’Meara66-65—131
David Frost68-64—132
Jeff Sluman66-66—132
Steve Elkington65-67—132
Tom Lehman67-66—133
Rocco Mediate63-70—133
Jay Haas68-66—134
Bart Bryant66-68—134
Craig Stadler69-66—135
Tom Pernice Jr.65-70—135
Fred Funk65-70—135
Russ Cochran70-67—137
Corey Pavin70-67—137
Dan Forsman64-73—137
Larry Nelson70-68—138
Hale Irwin69-69—138
Roger Chapman67-71—138
Jay Don Blake66-72—138
Olin Browne72-67—139
Tom Watson70-69—139
Kirk Triplett70-69—139
Nick Price73-67—140
Kenny Perry72-68—140
John Riegger71-69—140
Brad Faxon71-69—140
Kohki Idoki70-70—140
John Cook69-71—140
Loren Roberts68-72—140
Michael Allen73-68—141
Mike Reid72-69—141
Willie Wood71-70—141
Joe Daley71-70—141
Curtis Strange70-71—141
Esteban Toledo69-72—141
Mark McNulty76-67—143
Mark Wiebe71-72—143
Tom Kite71-74—145
Mark Calcavecchia75-74—149
Ben Crenshaw76-76—152
