Justin Leonard matched the low round of the day on Saturday to take a one-shot lead through 36 holes of the Chubb Classic as he seeks his first win on the PGA Tour Champions.
Leonard, in his 45th start on the senior tour, shot a 7-under 65 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. He is at 11 under to lead South Africa’s Ernie Els, who shot 67, by one stroke heading into Sunday’s final round.
“It’s been a very long time,” Leonard said. “So to have the opportunity is something that I — that’s why we’re all out here playing.
“So to be able to have the opportunity tomorrow and be in a good position, you know, I’m going to sleep well tonight and wake up tomorrow and, you know, it’s not going to change how I feel about myself, whatever happens tomorrow.”
Leonard carded eight birdies, including three par-5 holes. A bogey on the par-4 No. 17 was his only blemish.
“You know, it was a fun day,” he said. “It was solid. I think the wind was up enough to where it had my full attention all day long, and that’s a good thing.”
Leonard, 52, is 0-for-1 when either leading or co-leading with 18 holes to play on this tour. He finished tied for sixth in 2023 and tied for 61st last year at the Chubb Classic.
Els, 55, is seeking his eighth win on tour in 107 starts. He captured the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai on Jan. 18 to open the season. A victory Sunday would make Els the first player since Miguel Angel Jimenez in 2022 to win two of the first three tournaments of the season on this tour.
“Keys to tomorrow is just go out and play, play solid golf,” Els said. “The wind picked up today. Just tough scoring. But Justin is a tough competitor. There is a bunch of guys behind us, so we just got to put the foot on the gas.”
Els opened with a birdie on No. 1 and did the same on Nos. 5, 8, 10, 12, 13 and 15. A double bogey on the par-3 No. 7 had set Els back to even par for the tournament, but he rallied with a 33 on the back nine.
First-round co-leader Paul Stankowski is in third place at 8 under after a 1-under 71. Stankowski, 55, who put up three birdies against two bogeys and 13 pars, is looking for his first win on tour in 80 starts.
Mario Tiziani, the other first-round co-leader, carded 73 and is tied for 10th at 6 under. He carded three birdies and four bogeys in an eventful round.
Chile’s Felipe Aguilar, 50, matched Leonard with a 65 and went bogey free. Aguilar, in his debut on PGA Tour Champions, moved up 28 spots to a tie for fourth at 7 under with Heath Slocum (67), Joe Durant (70), Tim Petrovic (69), Billy Andrade (69) and Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson (71).
–Field Level Media
