Steven Alker of New Zealand shot the round of the day Friday to jump into the lead halfway through the Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
Alker’s 5-under-par 65 put him at 7-under 133 through two rounds, one shot above defending champion Steve Stricker (68) at the event previously known as the Senior Players Championship. Kenny Perry (69) and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson (66) were tied for third at 4 under.
Alker posted his low number in spite of a double bogey he carded at the par-4 fourth hole. That misstep came amid a stretch of four birdies in six holes on the front nine; he then added three birdies on the back.
“I felt it early on,” Alker said. “I was in the groove hitting my irons well, making a few putts. Very sloppy double on 4 was it, I think, but eliminated that pretty quickly, made a couple of birdies coming back on the back nine.”
Then, Alker said, he “got a bit loose” with his driver on the back nine.
“I think just one shot at a time, the old adage,” he said. “Just stick with it, keep at it. Then if you miss it in the right place around here, you’re OK. The right side of the fairway or the right part of the green, you can manage yourself around.”
Alker, 52, won the season-long Charles Schwab Cup in 2022 and has been one of the tour’s best players since he joined in late 2021. So far, he has one senior major title on his resume.
Stricker, a co-leader after the first round, opened his day strong with birdies at Nos. 10 and 11. Then he went quiet, managing mostly pars the rest of the day with one bogey and one more birdie.
“It was a good ball-striking day,” Stricker said. “I let a few get away really on the greens and that’s been my bugaboo so far this year. Some good putts and then some head scratchers that I don’t know where it’s coming out of.”
Stricker also won this major in 2021 and was the runner-up in 2022. The 57-year-old has yet to win on the PGA Tour Champions this year but has 17 titles to his name, including seven majors.
Duffy Waldorf shared the first-round lead with Stricker but struggled to a 74 Friday and dropped down to even par.
K.J. Choi (68) of South Korea, Angel Cabrera (69) of Argentina and Jerry Kelly (66) are tied for fifth at 3 under. South Africa’s Ernie Els (68) is part of a group at 2 under along with Rocco Mediate (69) and Paul Stankowski (70).
–Field Level Media
