Last year’s version of this event came down to the challenging, confounding 18th hole at Omni Tucson National Resort.
If Saturday is any indication, this year’s will too.
Tommy Tolles leads the Cologuard Classic through two rounds at 11 under par. He holds a one-shot lead over Steve Stricker and Scott Dunlap.
That was not the case when the three PGA Tour Champions pros stood at the tee on No. 18.
Tolles and Stricker were tied for the lead at 12 under. Dunlap trailed by two. But as often happens on 18 if you pick the wrong line or hook the ball even a little bit, Stricker and Tolles hit their drives through the fairway into the left water hazard.
Tolles ended up with a bogey, Stricker a double. Dunlap, who found the fairway, made par – which is always a good score on one of the Champions Tour’s most difficult holes.
“Always has been, always will be, no doubt,” said Dunlap, who shot a 2-under 71. “I hit a good tee ball, got out of Dodge. My day was pretty inconsistent, but I didn’t shoot myself in the foot.”
Dunlap saved par on 17 despite airmailing his third shot into the bunker behind the green. Stricker also made par, but it wasn’t what he had in mind after reaching the green on the par-5 hole in two.
“Three-putting 17 for par and then doubling 18 doesn’t sit so well with me right now,” said Stricker, who made seven birdies and two doubles for a second-round 70. “But I’m still in a good spot heading into tomorrow, so got to look at the bright side and try to get a good night’s sleep – try to come out tomorrow and not make any mistakes.”
Tolles grunted as if he had made an error off the tee at 17. He took an extremely aggressive line with a driver over the lake that abuts the fairway, and it paid off. The shot cleared the water, scooted through the trees and came to rest about 150 yards shy of the green.
“It says 286 (yards) in the book, but it’s downhill, downwind, so it’s probably realistically a 265 carry,” said Tolles, who matched Stricker with a 3-under 70. “The only thing is, if you try and go over the lake, you have to avoid the trees. As I was passing by the marshal there I said, ‘How close did it come to hitting the stump?’ He said, ‘Closer than you think.’ ”
Tolles’ good fortune led to a birdie and a stroke gained on his playing partners. He caught a break on the par-5 12th hole as well. Tolles hooked his second shot well left of the green.
“We don’t like to think there’s a lot of luck in this game,” he said. “But in that case, when you hit a really bad shot … it ended up in a spot where I had a tree in front of me. But it wasn’t in play, and I drew a fairly decent lie and comfortable number. So I was lucky.”
Tolles made birdie at 12. He hung around despite a disappointing performance on the greens and is in position to win for the first time on the Champions Tour. He never won an event on the PGA Tour either. Between the two, that’s 240 starts.
Tolles is trying not to think about it that way.
“Tomorrow is just another day,” said Tolles, who gained exempt status for the 2018 season after finishing second at the PGA Tour Champions Q School event late last year. “You can’t really play any hole like it’s more important than the previous one.
“When I play the first hole, I’m going to hit it just like I did on Thursday (in the pro-am). Second hole, just like I did on Thursday. Until they tell me I can’t play anymore.”
Stricker, who has won 12 times on the PGA Tour, is seeking his first Champions Tour victory. He finished second in his tour debut here last year, losing to Tom Lehman by one stroke. Lehman parred the 18th hole in the final round; Stricker, playing in the same group, found the water and made bogey.
No. 18 has been by far the toughest hole through two rounds this year. The average score on the par-4 is 4.448. On Saturday, the average was 4.468. The hole yielded four birdies, 24 bogeys and eight doubles in Round 2.
The three players who are tied for fourth at 9 under par – Rocco Mediate, Doug Garwood and Gene Sauers – all made par on 18. Mediate, who began Saturday seven shots off the lead, had the low round of the day – an 8-under 65.
“All I want to do is have a chance,” Mediate said. “Out here, if you have a round like I did yesterday – which is mediocre at best, 1 under – you have to have something stupid to win the week, to get back in it. Today was that day.”
Garwood made five consecutive birdies on holes 5-9.
Chip shots
- Seven-time Champions Tour Player of the Year Bernhard Langer made double bogeys on 13, 17 and 18 to finish at 4-over 77. He had shot par or better in 37 consecutive rounds, one shy of the tour record.
- Scottsdale resident Kirk Triplett is tied for seventh at 8 under par after shooting consecutive 69s.
- Bart Bryant, who’s tied for 10th at 7 under, is the only player in the field to have hit all 28 fairways.
