Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain and Steven Alker of New Zealand are tied atop the leaderboard after one round of the Rogers Charity Classic on Friday in Calgary.
Jimenez and Alker each posted 7-under-par 63 at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club. And it’s fitting that they’re ahead of the pack in Canada, as Jimenez and Alker entered the week Nos. 1 and 3 in the Charles Schwab Cup race, too.
There are seven events remaining in the PGA Tour Champions’ regular season before the three-tournament playoffs commence, and Alker will try to apply pressure on Jimenez as they vie for positioning.
Jimenez posted a bogey-free round with four of his seven birdies on the back nine. He hit less than half the fairways in regulation (6 of 13) but went 5-for-5 scrambling.
He’s won four tournaments this season, including one major, the Kaulig Companies Championship.
“It’s experience,” Alker said of Jimenez, per the Calgary Herald. “Miguel’s won all over the world, and he’s still winning now. So it just goes to show you he’s in good shape. Miguel’s always worked hard on his game and stayed in shape, and that’s why he’s doing well right now.”
For his part, Alker birdied five of his last eight holes to go low on Friday. His victory at the Cologuard Classic in March was his only win of the year.
They are one stroke ahead of Tommy Gainey and Shane Bertsch, who posted 64s. Gainey turned 50 on Wednesday and went bogey-free in the first round of his first PGA Tour Champions event.
Five players are tied for fifth at 5-under 65: Doug Barron, Tag Ridings, Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez, Australia’s Richard Green and Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen.
The low Canadian Friday was Wes Martin, who shot a 3-under 67. Among other Canadians, Mike Weir posted an even-par 70 while Stephen Ames and Gordon Burns each struggled to a 1-over 71.
“We only get (to play in Canada) once a year on this tour, you know, so it’s great,” Weir said before the tournament. “Looking forward to great fan support on the weekend and I like this course. So hopefully I can get myself in the mix on Sunday.”
–Field Level Media
