ENDICOTT, N.Y. – A three-stroke advantage will be in capable, proven, world-class hands to begin Sunday’s concluding round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.
Ernie Els backed an opening 68 with Saturday’s bogey-free, 7-under-par 65 at En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott and is well-positioned at 11 under to secure his third win of the 2020-21 PGA Tour Champions season.
Cameron Beckman made birdie at the 18th to close a round of 69 for solo second at 8-under, with Darren Clarke and Miguel Angel Jiménez co-third at 7-under.
“Well, I hit a lot of greens and when I hit the greens, I made some putts, so that was a good key for me,” said Els, who has 12 top-10 finishes in 23 PGA Tour Champions starts. “The conditions were quite tough. Rain and wind kind of came and went so you kind of had to keep the ball in front of you. Finishing on 16 making a good par save and making a birdie on 18 was big.”
Els made five consecutive birdies beginning at the second and another at the ninth. He strung together pars on the back before thumping a tee ball perilously near but clear of the penalty area left of 18 fairway, approached from 95 yards and rolled one in for his seventh birdie of the afternoon.
“I felt like I needed to kind of get a good round going and I had a nice start,” he said. “I played the front nine really well and I just tried to keep it going. I parred every hole on the back nine except for 18. It wasn’t all clean sailing, I had to make some good par saves and so forth, but to make the putt on 18 was big.”
Beckman, whose most recent win came in 2010 on the regular tour, was bogey-free in a 3-under round.
“I hit the ball nice today and I missed — I had a bunch to capitalize on and get a little further under today, but anytime you go bogey free … I hit a lot of greens and just a lot of great shots, so I’m excited for tomorrow.”
Jimenez was 4 under through 12 but made bogeys on the 15th and 18th around a long putt for birdie at 16.
“Yeah, well, I’ve been playing very well, very solid and I only make only one putt on 18 holes really, on the 16th, but solid from the tees, lot of chances for birdie, finished with 3 under par today,” he said.
Clarke is four back following rounds of 69 and 68.