About 1:30 p.m. Saturday, the conditions changed at the Cologuard Classic. The wind picked up significantly, gusting to 15-20 miles per hour.
Just like that, Omni Tucson National Resort — which yielded birdies by the boatload in Round 1 Friday — became harder to navigate.
“A lot harder,” said Scott McCarron, one of three players who’s one shot off the lead entering the final round Sunday. “It was just tough to get the ball close. It was gusting enough that it could change right in mid-swing.”
The leaderboard shifted as frequently as the wind. Mark O’Meara came out on top at the end of Round 2, shooting a 3-under 70 to put him at 10 under par. McCarron, Kirk Triplett and Tucson product Willie Wood are tied for second at 9 under.
“I’m proud of myself the way I hung in there,” said O’Meara, who, at 62, is the second-oldest player in the field. “I played all right today. I’m going to have to play better tomorrow to win.”
O’Meara has only two career victories on the PGA Tour Champions, both coming in 2010. “Which is disappointing,” said O’Meara, a two-time major winner on the PGA Tour.
He put himself in contention by making eight straight birdies Friday, tying a Champions Tour record. The course and the conditions were not nearly as generous Saturday. The field made 50 fewer birdies in Round 2 than it did in Round 1.
“When you birdie two through nine, it seemed like it was really easy,” O’Meara said. “Things were falling into place. Today it was a little bit more challenging, a little tougher.”
Willie Wood hits his third shot on No. 18 from a greenside bunker during the second round of the 2019 Cologuard Classic PGA Tour Champions event at Omni Tucson National Golf Resort, March 2, 2019.
The always-taxing 18th hole presented a different set of challenges to the final few groups. Three contenders — O’Meara, McCarron and defending champion Steve Stricker — hit their approach shots over the green. All three made bogey.
McCarron’s approach ended up in the front left portion of the bunker behind the green. He said there was “literally no sand” in that part of the trap, so he didn’t feel comfortable hitting a wedge. Instead, McCarron tried to putt the ball out. It hit the lip and nestled in the intermediate rough.
“It’s a bad break, one of those things that happens,” McCarron said. “It’s golf.”
The wind got the best of O’Meara on 18. He had 202 yards to the flag and hit a 3-iron that skidded through the green. In retrospect, he said, 4-iron would have been a better choice.
“You’re kind of in no-man’s land past the pin on 18,” O’Meara said. “Sometimes it’s better on this golf course to leave the ball below the hole.”
Concerned about the ball rolling off the green, O’Meara landed his chip short. It never made it.
Playing in the same group, Stricker faced a similar dilemma. He was almost directly behind the hole, enabling him to put the ball. It barely helped. Stricker left the shot 7 feet short. He then missed his par putt.
The greens at Omni Tucson National have been slightly slower than usual this week, and that’s made it tricky for Stricker and others to judge putts.
“We’re above the pin at 18. Typically, that’s the last place you want to be,” Stricker said. “You know how fast it (has been), and what do we do? We leave it short. Now you’ve got another downhiller.”
Jeff Maggert strains to see where his sand shot ended up on the No. 9 green during the second round of the 2019 Cologuard Classic PGA Tour Champions event at Omni Tucson National Golf Resort, March 2, 2019.
Stricker was cruising along at 2 under for the day through the sixth hole. He mis-hit his tee shot on the par-3 seventh and three-putted for a bogey, his first of the tournament. Two more followed on No. 9 and No. 11.
The good news? Stricker is only two shots back.
“I’m hitting the ball very nicely — hitting it on the button,” Stricker said. “I’m doing a lot of good things. I’ve just got to get it in the hole.”
Stricker was among a handful of favorites entering this week. Wood was not.
The 58-year-old — who starred at Sabino High School and won several amateur titles in the late 1970s — received the last of five sponsor exemptions into the Cologuard Classic. Wood has two career victories on the Champions Tour, both coming in 2012. He hasn’t had a top-10 finish since 2015.
Despite not having played in a tournament since last September — and ranking 62nd in driving distance through two rounds — Wood is hanging tough. He made three birdies and only one bogey Saturday, all on the front nine. He parred his final 10 holes for 2-under 71.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Wood said. “I haven’t played in a tournament in quite a while. But I knew I was playing well, so I just wanted to do my best. I had a hot round yesterday (7-under 66), which was terrific. I finished strong. I would like to do the same tomorrow.”
Wood conceded that his golf career is in the winding-down phase.
“I would like to keep it from winding down a little bit longer,” he said.
Chip shots
- First-round leader Kenny Perry shot an even-par 73. He fell to 8 under after taking a double-bogey on No. 17 — his first hole with a score worse than par in the tournament.
- Lee Janzen shot the low round of the day, a 7-under 66, to put himself within range of the leaders. Janzen is 7 under overall, three strokes behind O’Meara. “It was a good day,” Janzen said. “I had chances virtually every hole, and I capitalized at least a few times.”
- MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz, playing on a sponsor exemption, shot a 1-over 74. He’s plus-1 through two rounds. If you take out the ninth and 18th holes, he’d be 4 under par. “I was under par both days all the way until the end,” Smoltz said. “It’s much easier closing baseball games than it’s been closing out the golf tournament.”
- Former Arizona Wildcat standout David Berganio Jr. shot his second consecutive 2-under 71. He’s tied for 17th at 4 under par. Ex-Cat Robert Gamez shot a 72. He’s tied for 42nd at 1 under.
- Retief Goosen withdrew after suffering a broken right ring finger while hitting a drive Friday. He shot a 2-over 75 in Round 1. Tommy Armour III withdrew after his 13th hole Saturday because of a neck injury.
- The average score on the par-4 18th hole was 4.305 strokes, up from 4.115 Friday.
