Miguel Ángel Jiménez (-1) has run out of options to win the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, a Major of the PGA Tour Champions that is being played this week at the Harbor Shores Resort in Michigan. The golfer from Malaga went out this Saturday with options to get into the fight to lift the trophy, but a card of 74 strokes has left him out.
Jiménez signed up to two eagles on his card, but he combined them with zero birdies and seven bogeys, a service sheet insufficient to aspire to victory on the last day. In fact, Miguel Ángel has fallen to the 29th place, nine strokes behind the two tournament leaders, the Australian Greg Chalmers (-10) and the South African Ernie Els (-10). The former is in his rookie season in the Champions after recently turning 50 and has not yet achieved his first victory, while Els is already a classic of the circuit at 54 years old and three victories, although he has not yet conquered any Major title in the senior. This Sunday he will have a great opportunity.
The big surprise of the moving day has been the crash that Richard Bland (-9) has taken. The Englishman from LIV Golf, coming out as leader in his first Champions tournament once he turned 50, has delivered a card of 74 strokes with two birdies and five bogeys and has fallen to third place, tied with Chris di Marco. Be that as it may, he has plenty of margin to recover and get into the battle for victory tomorrow. He remains the big favourite.
Similarly, two strokes behind is the Australian Richard Green (-8) and tied with seven under par are Jason Caron, Steve Stricker, Scott Hend and Stewart Cink. Stricker is the defending champion and inevitably is the other big favourite for victory.
The best round of the day was for the tireless Bernhard Langer, who delivered a result of 65 strokes, although he is without options of victory with a total accumulated of -3. Even for him it is impossible to think of such a comeback on Sunday.
