Texan Petrovic leads Shaw Charity Classic by two strokes

Tim Petrovic, of the United States, hits from the second tee during round two of the PGA Tour Champions Shaw Charity Classic golf event in Calgary, Alta., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

A day after shooting 62 at the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, Tim Petrovic wasn’t all that impressed with his second-round score of 66 on Saturday at the Shaw Charity Classic.

Although he finished with seven birdies on the par 70, 7,061-yard layout, the 57-year-old golfer from Austin, Texas, also had three bogeys.

“Obviously today wasn’t perfect,” Petrovic said. “We always want that perfect round. I made a couple sloppy bogeys that started with a couple bad drives, but I bounced back after the bogeys and made a birdie just to keep the round going and I think that was important.

"I was just playing one hole at a time and wasn’t getting ahead of myself. I’m rolling the ball pretty good. I just want to give myself some birdie putts.”

Heading into Sunday’s final round of the 54-hole PGA Champions Tour event, Petrovic is sitting in first at 12 under.

“Well, this is where you want to be,” said Petrovic, whose best finish so far this season was a tie for fourth at the Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 4.

“It’s a good spot to be. I’ve just been kind of ho-humming it this year. I’ve had a little couple injuries and now I’m starting to feel a little healthy. I’ve had some good practice sessions. The sessions were good and I just had to stay patient and wait for it to happen.”

Petrovic has a two-stroke lead on Ken Duke of Hope, Ark., who carded a round of 6-under 64 to move into second place at 10 under.

“It was good to get off to a good start and obviously finish well because all those holes are very difficult,” said Duke, who birdied two of his first three holes before finishing with birdies on 16 and 17 and a par on 18. “I just had to hang in there.”

Scott Dunlap of Duluth, Ga., had Saturday’s best round of 8-under 62 to move up into a four-way tie for third spot at 8 under with Billy Andrade, Robert Karlsson and Dicky Pride.

“Today was just tidy right from the start and I made the putts I was supposed to make and didn’t really ever put myself in any danger,” said Dunlop, who rolled in eight birdies and 10 pars during his round. “So, it was kind of fun to have one of those rounds.”

CANADIANS IN HUNT

Thanks to a bogey-free round of 4-under 66, Alan McLean of London, Ont., is sitting as the top Canadian through two days of competition.

“I really enjoyed the golf course last year, so it was nice to come back,” said the 52-year-old McLean, who finished in a tie for 23rd spot at last year’s event at two under.

“I’m probably hitting the ball a bit better than I was last year. My length is an advantage on this golf course and I’ve been hitting my driver solid and creating a lot of opportunities. Heading into (Sunday) if I hit the ball like this and make a few more putts, I can make some noise.”

Following his round, which included three birdies on his front nine and one more on the back, McLean is in a five-way tie for 13th spot at six under.

After earning an exemption to play in Calgary, McLean could also qualify to compete next weekend in Grand Blanc, Mich., at The Ally Challenge if he can finish in the top 10 after Sunday’s final round.

“Honestly, for me in my situation, just being in contention would be great,” said McLean, who was born in Scotland, grew up in South Africa and relocated to Canada in 2000. “To accomplish something really nice at home would be even more special. Everybody’s been very supportive and I’ve enjoyed that."

The 78-player field also features three other Canadians.

Stephen Ames, a former Calgary resident, carded his second straight round of 69 and is sitting well back of the leaders in a tie for 40th spot at two under with 12 other golfers including Mike Weir, a fellow Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.

Weir, of Brights Grove, Ont., started his day with three birdies and no bogeys in his first 11 holes before getting into some trouble and finishing his round with a one-over 71.

David Morland IV, who’s originally from Aurora, Ont., was also 1 over on Saturday to fall back into a tie for 60th spot at even par.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2023.