Saturday’s conditions were perfect for golf in West Hawaii, which led a flood of low scores at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
Late birdies on the 17th hole gave Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer a share of the lead at 14-under and a host of others are within striking distance entering the final day of the opening event of the Champions Tour.
“I started off the way I finished yesterday, said Langer, who tied a course-record 30 on the front nine. “I got off to a nice start today, drove nicely and hit some good irons and putts. You have to shoot low here. If you shoot even par you will get lapped when the conditions are like this.”
Langer injured his thumb in the Pro-Am earlier in the week and has been playing through the pain. The two-time Masters champion played the round with a wrap around his thumb, but said the pain has mostly subsided.
“I played yesterday and it hurt quite a bit but today was a lot better,” Langer said. “I didn’t have much pain at all today, so that was encouraging.”
While his thumb is feeling better, Langer now has to battle a mental hurdle. Langer has finished in the top 10 in each of his last 11 tournaments — including runner-up finishes at the Senior Open Championship and Charles Schwab Cup Championship — but has failed to record a victory.
“It has been frustrating,” Langer said. “I have been leading almost every weekend I have played, whether it was the first day, second or third, so I’m ready for some more wins.”
Couples got away with a hooked shot on the 7th hole Friday, when a fortunate bounce helped his ball out of the lava and onto the green, just 8 feet from the hole, for an easy eagle.
He was not as lucky Saturday.
On the 14th hole, Couples hooked a ball into the rocks and had to take a drop after it was declared unplayable.
“Once again, I would say I putted well and drove it well, until a couple of those swings,” Couples said. “I hooked into the lava on 14 and hooked it again on 15, but had some nice shots down the stretch.”
Couples saved par on 14 with a 25-foot putt, but it was a missed opportunity for the co-leader on one of Hualalai’s par-5s. Through two rounds, 177 birdies and 23 eagles have been recorded on the course’s four par-5s.
“I played the par-5s just 2-under today,” Couples said. “The scores here are crazy every year. It’s one of those things where I don’t pay attention until I come in Sunday. This year I’m just playing. I’ve made a lot of birdies and tomorrow I have to do the same and worry about it when I’m done.”
After another impressive showing on the front-nine, Mark O’Meara sits just one shot back of the leaders in sole possession of third place.
“Anybody within three or four shots of the lead can play a hot round tomorrow and have a great shot of winning this thing,” O’Meara said. “There’s a lot of things that can still happen tomorrow. To win any tournament you are not going to back into it — you have to shoot a low score.”
2013 runner-up David Frost, Jeff Sluman and Steve Elkington are in a logjam at 12-under.
First-round leader Rocco Mediate came back to earth with a 2-under 70, but seemed bothered by a hip injury that nearly sidelined him before teeing off Friday. Throughout the round, Mediate could be seen stretching out on the greens and favoring his left side when walking.
Mediate enters the final day of his first trip to Hualalai three shots back of the leaders.
NOTES: There were 24 rounds in the 60s Saturday compared to 20 rounds in the 60s on Friday. Last year through the first 36 holes, there were just 33 scores in the 60s. … The par-4 3rd hole played as the toughest on Saturday (4.146), yielding just one birdie (Olin Browne). … Langer’s 64 today was his sixth straight round in the 60s at Hualalai and in his career at this course, Langer has now recorded 19 sub-par rounds out of 20 played. Over his last six rounds, he’s a cumulative 33-under. … The tournament winner has come from the last grouping in seven of the last eight years after not coming from the last group 2003-05. … For the second consecutive day, 68-year-old Hale Irwin shot 3-under 69, his 36th career round in the 60s at this event. Irwin is making his 19th consecutive appearance in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship.