Bernhard Langer birdied four of the final six holes to shoot 66, and retain his two-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Toshiba Classic. Langer continues to execute down the stretch, and understands he will need another great round tomorrow, “I’m going to have to go somewhat low because there’s a lot of guys not too far behind, and somebody can shoot eight‑under.”
Kenny Perry and Chien Soon Lu are among the players who will give Langer a run for his money. Both Perry and Lu eagled the final hole to tie for second place at eleven-under par.
Perry shot 65 in the second round, and is looking forward to his pairing with Langer tomorrow:
"He’s the consummate pro. He’s always prepared. You know he’s not going to make mistakes, you know he’s going to be all the way to the end, he’s a grinder, he’s a fighter, [and] he’s in the lead or near the lead every week that we play…I’ve got to figure out a way to get it to 16, 17, 18‑under tomorrow somehow, and see where it stands. I mean he’s a great friend, he’s a great man, I admire him a lot. I look up to him, and he’s made me a better player because I know how hard he works at it, and it made me step my game up."
Lu shot 66 to tie Perry at eleven-under, and remain two-strokes behind Langer.
Fred Couples, Esteban Toledo, Scott Dunlap, and Jeff Hart are tied for fourth place at ten-under par. Dunlap shot 64, Toledo shot 65, and Couples and Hart shot 67s.
Dunlap is an exempt player on the Web.com Tour, and believes he is well-prepared to take on the Champions Tour, “The Web.com Tour is the toughest professional dollar to earn in the world and I can guarantee that. You had better come ready to go.”
Peter Senior and Tom Watson both shot eight-under 63s to rocket up the leaderboard. Senior is tied for eighth at nine-under total, and Watson is tied for twelfth at eight-under total.
The tournament will be won on the back nine because there are several birdie opportunities, including the reachable par-five eighteenth. It will be an exciting finish, so don’t forget to tune in to the Golf Channel at 7 pm ET.
Fun Fact: D.A. Weibring (T68) aced the par-3 17th with a 6-iron from 179 yards. Courtesy of @ChampionsTour .
Hall of Fame watch:
1. Bernhard Langer (-13)
T4. Fred Couples (-10)
T12. Tom Watson (-8)
T16. Hale Irwin (-7)
T31. Colin Montgomerie (-5)
T68. Sandy Lyle (+2)
T74. Ben Crenshaw (+4)
79. Curtis Strange (+7)
Link to third round tee times.
