K.J. Choi, who lost in a playoff just last week at the Sanford International (eventually won by Darren Clarke), leads after round two of the Pure Insurance Championship. The 2011 Players champion fired a 4-under 68 at Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula, California.
Choi has made just one bogey through his first 36 holes, and will enter Sunday’s final round with a narrow edge.
But the biggest story on Saturday was Bernhard Langer, at age 64, finishing with a 66 on the day.
Langer got hot after the turn, posting birdies on four of his last eight holes while playing Pebble Beach, and the 41-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions said it’s the best round he’s had on the iconic course in decades. Langer and Alex Cejka, who shot a 71 on Saturday, both trail Choi by two strokes.
“I played really good today, really one of my best rounds on this golf course in 40 years or something, 30 years, I don’t know. Hit some great tee shots and some solid irons, and made the odd putt. So, very happy,” Langer said, “It got pretty cold the last hour or so. And, yeah, excited about tomorrow.”
K.J. Choi of the Republic of Korea hits his tee shot on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during Round Two of the PURE Insurance Championship on September 25, 2021 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
Langer, who last won at the 2020 Cologuard Classic, was asked what he likes about Pebble Beach.
“Just about everything. It’s right there in front of you. You got to play smart, and certain holes you got to be aggressive, keep the ball under the hole, and take your chances when you can,” he said. “But the scenery is better than anywhere else, really.”