BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Richard Bland is hitting it so nicely he felt he struggled on the greens of Harbor Shores and nonetheless managed a 5-under 66 on Friday to set the goal on the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship within the Englishman’s senior main debut.
Bland, who gained his first European tour title at 48 and joined Saudi-funded LIV Golf a 12 months later, was at 12-under 130. He performed within the morning wave earlier than a day delay due to doubtlessly harmful climate.
Scott Dunlap was a stroke again, and Chris DiMarco was three photographs behind. They every shot 65 of their morning rounds.
Corridor of Famer Ernie Els was 8 below, closing his afternoon spherical with a bogey on the par-4 ninth for a 64. He birdied 5 of his first six holes, then had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on his remaining 9.
“I performed actually nice for 17 holes and simply my final gap pulled it left and it went near the hazard,” Els mentioned.
Mind Homosexual additionally was 8 below, capturing 67.
Defending champion Steve Stricker, who had by no means performed at Harbor Shores, was 5 strokes behind Bland at 7 below after a 69.
Stewart Cink (68), Mike Weir (69), Joakim Haeggman (66) and Richard Inexperienced (71) additionally had been 7 below. Inexperienced was tied with Bland for the first-round lead after a 64.
Iowa teacher Jeffrey Schmid topped the membership professionals, following a gap 66 with a 71 to stay 5 below.
“I let lots get away as we speak,” Schmid mentioned. “It was disappointing. However then I got here again and shot even par, too.”
Bland was exempt to play the Senior PGA Championship final 12 months below a class for gamers successful European tour occasions within the final 5 years — he gained the British Masters at age 48 in 2021. However final 12 months’s Senior PGA was the identical week as LIV Golf Bedminster.
With no battle this 12 months, he inquired about cashing in on the one-time exemption and the PGA of America provided him an invite.
Bland has been leaning on his driving accuracy, at the same time as he waits for his putter to heat up on the difficult Jack Nicklaus-designed greens.
He made his first bogey on the par-4 fourth when he did not get up-and-down, and Bland considers the following gap key to his spherical — all due to a fly.
“As I used to be hitting my tee shot — actually as I used to be beginning my downswing — a fly got here straight throughout the ball,” Bland mentioned. “I noticed it and I hit it within the left lure. For that gap, I might’ve been reaching that, particularly with it being downwind and off the precise. I might have most likely hit perhaps even iron into that gap as we speak.”
As an alternative, he needed to lay up after which managed to get up-and-down from 130 yards for birdie.
“That was good to get the momentum again straight after the bogey on 4,” Bland mentioned. “That was fairly essential.”
Dunlap, who gained earlier this 12 months on the PGA Tour Champions, was difficult for the lead with seven birdies till he misplaced a scoring alternative by making bogey on the par-5 sixteenth. He nonetheless posted a 65 and was not within the temper to complain.
“That’s pretty much as good of golf as I’ve obtained,” Dunlap mentioned. “Clearly, I gained lately, so obtained a bit of little bit of confidence, perhaps figured just a few issues out. However my observe report round right here has been a bit of wanting, so I suppose perhaps I hadn’t used up any of excellent golf. It’s sort of all come out in these two rounds. See what we’ve left within the tank for the ultimate two.”
DiMarco’s spotlight was holing out a bunker shot on the par-5 tenth for eagle. Miguel Angel Jimenez aced the par-3 second for his fifteenth aggressive hole-in-one. He was 4 below after a 68.
Champions profession victory chief Bernhard Langer made the reduce on the quantity at 3 over with rounds of 74 and 71.
Two gamers had been unable to complete the spherical due to darkness.
