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Andrew Marshall leads the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at the halfway stage of the Legends Tour’s flagship tournament, after registering the first sub-70 round of the week at a windswept Trump International in Aberdeen.
The Englishman sits at two-under after 36 holes, one ahead of Spaniard Carlos Balmaseda who eagled his first hole of the day on his way to a gritty 71. Despite the organisers having brought forward a number of tees and slowed the greens to mitigate the strong winds, the duo are the only players under par.
Former champion Peter Baker is third on +1 after a battling 71, alongside Sean Whiffin. Former PGA Tour player Bo Van Pelt is at +2, along with Maarten Lafeber and PGA Professional Damian Mooney.
Overnight leader Michael Jonzon was going along nicely at -3 as he headed for the turn, but a catastrophic 11 at the par-four 9th – with three lost balls off the tee – put a serious dent in his challenge. Credit to the Swede, though, as he made it home in level-par from that point onwards to sit at +4 and tied for 10th, just six back.
Marshall had no such drama in compiling a stunning round of 69 in extremely challenging conditions. He opened up with five birdies in his first seven holes and was steady thereafter, despite dropping a couple of shots on the back nine.
“I knew I was playing well,” said Marshall. “I got off to an incredible start, and I just didn’t think too much about it, just kept hitting the ball and it was going in. I just hit less club, put it in play, and I could see a lot of people tearing their hair out because they’re hitting driver trying to pick up shots. I just tried to poke it down the middle and accept that four is a good score on any hole.”
After numerous near-misses, including three top-fives last season, Marshall is now 36 holes from a maiden Legends Tour title. “I’m currently in the lead, which is a bit daunting, but it’s what you dream about isn’t it? If I can play anywhere near like that and can keep making fours and not three-putt too many times, it should be very interesting. Unfortunately, it’s not a sprint to the finish tomorrow, so I’m just going to hit the ball low, keep it out of the wind, keep putting well, and if you can finish under par, I think you win.”
Winning the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship is something that Peter Baker knows all about, having memorably claimed a six-shot win in 2023. The former Ryder Cup player also emphasised the importance of finding fairways as he carded an impressive 71 to sit just three back.
“It’s very satisfying to shoot under par today,” said Baker. “I’m driving it pretty straight and hitting some second shots close. I had a good run in the middle of the round, lots of chances and made one or two. Par on any hole is a good score so very happy.
“I bogeyed the 11th, my second hole of the day, and then on my third I got a bit of a flyer out of the rough and went over the green. Hit a decent chip to about 15 feet and then holed it. Even so early in the round it felt important and I hit a lot of good shots after that.
“I don’t mind if the wind blows really, it’s up to you to just keep going, playing one shot at a time as it can get away from you very quickly around here. And if you do miss a shot you’re just trying to limit the damage. It’s not getting any easier so it’s just about having a chance come Sunday.”
As the only regular Legends Tour event with a halfway cut, Friday at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship is a day of extra tension and jeopardy. Host Colin Montgomerie narrowly missed out but his fellow Ryder Cup captains José María Olazábal and Paul McGinley both battled their way through, as did Major winners Rich Beem and Shaun Micheel, along with 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie who sits at +6, tied for 22nd.
With 15 places in the field for PGA Professionals who qualified via the Senior PGA Professional Championship, this event provides an incredible opportunity for club Professionals to compete with Major winners and Ryder Cup players. Of the 15 who started the week, no fewer than 10 managed to make the cut, with Ireland’s Damian Mooney handily placed at +2, just three off the lead.
Play continues on Saturday, with tickets available for both Saturday and Sunday at www.legendstour.com or on the gate.
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