Robert Karlsson retained a share of the lead after two rounds of the Sanford International, posting a 4-under 68 to put him in a tie with Jeff Maggert, who followed a first-round 64 with a 66 at Minnehaha Country Club on Saturday.
The pair are one stroke ahead of former Sanford International champion Rocco Mediate, who is at 9-under.
The conditions were more difficult for many of the PGA Tour Champions competitors but that wasn’t the case for everyone. Players like Steve Stricker, Paul Stankowski and Thongchai Jaidee also made impressive moves up the leaderboard.
It sets up what promises to be a very competitive final round with 13 golfers within three strokes of the lead.
“It was a good back nine and a good position to start tomorrow,” said Maggert, who has won six times on the Champions Tour. “I’ve been watching my son play a lot of golf and we’ve been feeding off each other. The last tournament he played, he played well and won. The discussion was we have to stay patient. The putts will go. Just be patient. I’ve been thinking about that myself. I’m kinda learning from him right now.”
Stricker, the Sanford International’s first-ever winner in 2018, followed Friday’s 2-under 68 with a 6-under 64. The difference included a few long putts and conditions that played more to his strengths.
“I made a few bombs – two putts that totaled about a hundred feet on No. 5 and then on No. 7,” said Stricker, a resident of Madison, Wisconsin, who has won more than $1.8 million this year on the Champions Tour. “That really kept the round going and provided that boost. They were holes I was just trying to make par on and get out of there and ended up making birdies.”
Ernie Els is one of five golfers at 8-under and Padraig Harrington, the second-leading money-winner on the Champions Tour this season, is one of five players at 7-under.
“Early in the day the wind was kicking up pretty good – 15 to 20 (mph),” Maggert said. “It was definitely harder to make birdies today that it was yesterday.”
Learn more
- Robert Karlsson leads Day 1 of Sanford International
- What’s new at the Sanford International?
- Golf scientists trade findings at World Scientific Congress
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Posted In Golf, Sanford International, Sanford Sports, Sioux Falls
