After sinking birdie putts on the seventh and 15th holes Saturday, Miguel Angel Jimenez pulled out one of his signature celebrations.
Jimenez lifted his putter and shoved into an imaginary sheath next to his left hip, as one would a sword. The gallery roared its approval.
The swashbuckling Spaniard shot a 5-under-par 67 in the second round of the Cologuard Classic to take a two-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round at Omni Tucson National Resort.
Jimenez, who’s seeking his second victory in three starts on the PGA Tour Champions this season, made seven birdies in all, including three in a row on Nos. 6, 7 and 8. That’s where he gained separation from Jeff Sluman, with whom Jimenez was tied for the lead entering Saturday.
Sluman shot a 3-under 69 and is tied with Jerry Kelly for second place at 9 under.
Jerry Kelly, right, is tied with Jeff Sluman for second place heading into Sunday's final round of the Cologuard Classic.
The main difference between Jimenez and Sluman on Saturday was their performance on the greens. Jimenez needed 26 putts, while Sluman needed 30.
“I want his putter,” said Sluman, who missed several opportunities to make birdies. “He’s a great player obviously. He’s won a lot out here; he’s won a lot of tournaments worldwide. Like (fellow Spaniards) Jose Maria Olazabal and Seve (Ballesteros) around the greens, they have unbelievable imagination to get balls up and down.”
Jimenez trailed Sluman by two shots heading to the sixth hole. Sluman hit his tee shot into a bunker — the first missed fairway by any member of their group to that point. (Woody Austin played with Jimenez and Sluman. Austin shot a 3-under 69 and is tied for fourth at 8 under.)
Sluman’s approach landed short of the green, and he ended up with a bogey. Jimenez made birdie. Sluman parred the next 10 holes before notching a birdie on the par-5 17th.
Jimenez saved par on No. 17 after hitting his tee shot into the left water hazard. A bogey on 18 dropped his lead from three shots to two.
Jimenez’s drive rolled to the edge of the water, forcing him to pitch back into the fairway. He had a chance to save par, but his 25-foot, left-to-right putt slid just under the hole.
“I tried to make a par, of course,” Jimenez said. “I hit a very good putt, and it nearly went in. That’s the game.”
The way Jimenez had been putting, it was surprising to see the ball roll past the cup.
“It’s nice to see guys make putts,” Sluman said. “Sometimes it’s contagious. So hopefully some of his will wear off on me tomorrow.”
Sluman, who hasn’t won a PGA Tour Champions event since 2014, was pleased with his overall performance. He birdied three of the first four holes and kept plugging away even as it appeared Jimenez would lap the field.
“We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” Sluman said. “I like my spot right now. We’ll go out and hopefully play as casual and as carefree as I can.”
After something of a scattershot opening round, Kelly worked with his coach, Jim Schuman, and ironed out some kinks. Kelly hit 13 of 14 fairways after going 9 of 14 Friday.
Kelly had visions of a birdie-birdie-birdie finish standing over his ball in the middle of the 18th fairway. But his approach with a hybrid club landed in the bank in front of the green, and he had to get up and down to save par.
“Until the ball landed, I was thinking birdie or eagle,” Kelly said. “It was tracking right on the hole, and it just came up short. I couldn’t believe how long that played.”
Kelly’s play down the stretch stood in stark contrast to how he finished Friday. He needed resourcefulness and imagination to play the last four holes at even par.
“Grandstand, bogey,” Kelly said, referring to the 15th hold Friday. “Cart path, birdie (on 17). Bunker shot to a foot, made par on the last hole. It was pretty good.”
Kelly serves as a spokesman and ambassador for Cologuard. His best finish in this event is a tie for second in 2018. He invariably has entered this week coming off an injury. He also has had to learn how to manage his time while being pulled in multiple directions.
“It’s been Band-Aids on top of Band-Aids, but I feel really good,” Kelly said. “I love what I do for this company and for this tournament. It shouldn’t take away from my game. It should only add to it.”
Chip shots
Bernhard Langer, who needs two wins to tie Hale Irwin’s record of 45 victories on the PGA Tour Champions, shot a 5-under 67 to get to 7 under for the tournament. Langer, who won the Cologuard Classic in 2020, is tied for sixth.
After an opening-round 72, defending champion Kevin Sutherland shot a 5-under 67, climbing 29 spots to a tie for 11th.
After a 2-over 74 Friday, former University of Arizona star Jim Furyk shot a 3-under 69. He’s tied for 32nd at 1-under par.
Brandt Jobe and Paul Broadhurst had the lowest rounds of the day as each shot a 7-under 65. Joe is tied for eighth at 6 under, while Broadhurst is tied for 11th at 5 under.
As expected, the par-4 18th hole is playing as the most difficult hole on the course with a scoring average of 4.541. It has yielded only seven birdies through two rounds. No. 18 has played as the most difficult hole in each of the first seven Cologuard Classics. Last season it was the second-most-difficult hole on the PGA Tour Champions with a scoring average of 4.631.
