After two tough days on the South Course at Firestone Country Club, the Senior Players Championship is basically Steve Stricker’s to win or lose.
Striker followed up his opening 63 with a tidy 68 on Friday and opened up a five-shot lead as he stands alone at nine-under par.
The 54-year-old captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team has gone bogey-free after two windy trips around the world-famous layout.
“It was a little bit more of a grind today,” Stricker said. “I didn’t make a bogey, but I made a couple good saves for pars that kept the round going. Only two birdies. I didn’t really capitalize on a couple of the good shots that I hit in there today.
“Just got to continue to do the same things,” Stricker said “Get aggressive when I can and play smart like I’ve been doing and just try to do the same things that I’ve been doing these first couple of days.”
England’s Paul Broadhurst is closest to Stricker. He shot 69 on day two and is looking for a third senior major and sixth overall senior Tour win.
“I think it’s a case of him (Stricker) having to come back to the field rather than us catching him,” Broadhurst said. “You’re not going to hit every fairway, you’re not going to hit every green, so a couple rounds under par made me happy.”
Tied at two-under were Marco Dawson (69) and Ken Duke (71).
A group at one-under included defending champion Jerry Kelly, Jim Furyk (68), Ernie Els (67), Jose María Olazabal (69), Paul Goydos (69) and Kevin Sutherland (69).
