Garwood in Position for First Victory on Champions Tour


Doug Garwood fired a stellar 7-under 65 to take the 36-hole lead in the Principal Charity Classic. The $1.75 million Champions Tour event began Friday at Wakonda Golf Club in Des Moines.

Garwood, a 51-year-old making only his fourth start of the year and just the ninth in two years on the senior circuit, had three birdies on the front nine and four more on the back.

He stands at 11-under 133, a stroke ahead of six-time Champions Tour winner Michael Allen, who's posted rounds of 68 and 66.

Garwood, a journeyman from California who turned pro in 1989, admitted later that he's not sure what to expect heading into Sunday's final round. "I've never been in this position before," he said. "I think what I usually do is I just try to play golf. I set a score, a goal for my round, and I just try to focus on one shot at a time and achieving that.

"The rest of the time, I can't control what the other guys do. I'm sure I'll be nervous," added Garwood, whose best finish this year is a T-25 in the Allianz Championship in February. His best Champions Tour showing came in 2013 when he tied for second in the First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. "But that's part of the deal."

Only two behind the leader are Tom Pernice Jr. (67) and Mark Calcavecchia (69), while three back are Taiwan's Chien Soon Lu (65) and Americans Joe Durant (67), John Riegger (68) and Wes Short Jr. (70).

Four behind are Tom Lehman (68) and Steve Lowery (70).

The second round was interrupted by a delay caused by lightning in the area. The suspension lasted an hour and 19 minutes.

For all the scores, visit http://www.pgatour.com/champions/leaderboard.html.