VICTORIA – Scott McCarron birdied five of the first six holes and finished with an 8-under 62 to take the first-round lead Friday in the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship.

The 51-year-old McCarron birdied all four par-5 holes – Nos. 1, 12, 13 and 18 – in chilly conditions at Bear Mountain Resort, the first-year venue in the PGA Tour Champions event that was played in Hawaii from 2012-14.

“I really enjoy the golf course. I love the layout,” McCarron said. “It’s really one of the prettiest golf courses I’ve ever played in my life, it’s just fantastic. It’s my new favourite golf course, of course.”

McCarron won the Principal Charity Classic in June in Iowa for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour after winning three times on the PGA Tour.

“It was a tough day – we had a little drizzle, little bit of breeze and the fog came in and out,” McCarron said. “There were a couple of holes where we had to wait until we could see the fairway. But I got off to a good start. I birdied the first three holes, made a couple nice putts and hit some good shots and the rest of the round kept going. I made another three birdies in a row in the middle of the round, and it was really nice to birdie the last hole to shoot 62.”

Doug Garwood and Jerry Smith were tied for second at 64. Garwood played the back nine in 6-under 30, and Smith had eight birdies and a bogey.

Woody Austin and Jeff Sluman shot 65, and Olin Browne and Wes Short Jr. followed at 66. Austin has three victories this year.

Hall of Famers Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie topped the group at 67.

England’s Paul Broadhurst, the winner last week at Pebble Beach, had a 69. He won the Senior British Open at Carnoustie in July.

Bernhard Langer opened with a 70. The 59-year-old German star leads the tour with four victories this season. Langer played alongside Singh and former European Ryder Cup teammate Miguel Angel Jimenez (69).

Rod Spittle topped the four Canadians in the field with a 72. Jim Rutledge shot 73, Stephen Ames 74, and Murray Poje 82.

VICTORIA, B.C. – The 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship will get underway this Friday at Bear Mountain Golf Resort’s Mountain Course, with 81 of the top Champions Tour players competing for one of the year’s top purses of US$2.5 million.

Headlining one of the strongest fields of the 2016 Champions Tour season are World Golf Hall of Fame members Bernhard Langer, Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O’Meara and Tom Kite.

Langer, who currently leads the Charles Schwab Cup standings with $2,432.659 in 2016 earnings, has put forth one of the strongest seasons in Tour history at the age of 59, with four wins – including major championship victories at the Regions Tradition and Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship earlier this year.

The two-time Masters Tournament champion owns 29 career titles on Champions Tour, which puts him tied for second on the all-time victories list with Lee Trevino, trailing only Hale Irwin, who has 45 career wins.

Singh won 34 times during a stellar career on the PGA TOUR, including major championship titles at the 1998 and 2004 PGA Championship, as well as the 2000 Masters Tournament.

The 53-year-old native of Fiji ranks 14th on the PGA TOUR’s all-time victories list, and recorded a staggering 31 of his 34 wins during what is commonly referred to as the “Tiger Woods era.” Singh was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2005.

Montgomerie, 53, has notched three victories on Champions Tour, including the 2014 and 2015 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, as well as the 2014 U.S. Senior Open – all of which are senior major championships.

The Scotland native won the European Tour’s Order of Merit a record eight times during a standout career which gave way to Hall of Fame honors in 2013. Montgomerie drew the ire of American golf fans through the years, posting a 20-7-1 record in the biennial Ryder Cup without losing a singles match.

Other notable players in the field include former Masters Tournament champions Craig Stadler (1983), Larry Mize (1987) and Ian Woosnam (1991), as well as former Open Championship winners Mark Calcavecchia (1989) and Todd Hamilton (2005).

Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen and 1987 U.S. Open winner Scott Simpson will tee it up on Friday, as will former PGA Championship winner Jeff Sluman (1988).

The inaugural Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs are set to get underway at the end of October, which makes the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship a crucial stop on the 2016 calendar as one of the final three events in the Tour’s Regular Season. The top 72 players will qualify for the Playoffs.

The Charles Schwab Cup standings during the Regular Season are based on earnings, in turn making the US$375,000 winner’s share this week an attractive target for players looking to win the prestigious season-long race. Only three events in the Tour’s 26-tournament schedule have larger purses than the US$2.5 million offered this week, with all three being major championships.

The field at the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship will consist of 52 former PGA TOUR winners, and 11 players who have won on Champions Tour this year alone.

Tournament week in Victoria will begin with Official Pro-Ams on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by 54 holes of championship play from Friday through Sunday, with no cut. All three competitive rounds will be broadcast live by Golf Channel to more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world.

Tickets are available for both pro-am rounds and tournament rounds, and are offered in a variety of packages, including the popular Champions Club.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Paul Broadhurst birdied the par-5 18th at Pebble Beach on Sunday to win the PGA Tour Champions’ Nature Valley First Tee Open.

The Senior British Open winner at Carnoustie in July for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour, Broadhurst made a 6-foot birdie putt on 18 after running his first attempt past the hole.

The 51-year-old Englishman finished with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Bernhard Langer and playing partner Kevin Sutherland. Langer birdied the last for a 66, and Sutherland birdied the final two holes for a 70.

Joe Durant bogeyed the 18th – lipping out a 3-footer – for a 67 to finish fourth at 9 under.

Broadhurst finished at 11-under 204 for two rounds at Pebble Beach and one at Poppy Hills. He won six times on the European Tour and played in the 1991 Ryder Cup.

Canada’s Stephen Ames tied for 10th at 5-under.

The seniors played alongside boys and girls from The First Tee programs throughout the country.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Kevin Sutherland birdied four his last six holes at Pebble Beach for a 4-under 68 and the second-round lead Saturday in the PGA Tour Champions’ Nature Valley First Tee Open.

The 52-year-old Sutherland had an 8-under 135 total for a one-stroke lead over Paul Broadhurst, the Englishman who won the Senior British Open at Carnoustie in July.

From Sacramento, Sutherland is winless on the 50-and-over tour after winning once on the PGA Tour. In 2014, he set the senior tour record with a 13-under 59 in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

“This is always a special place to me,” Sutherland said. “Being a northern California guy, Pebble is the mecca of golf for northern California golfers. The whole Carmel/Monterey area is always a special place, so to win any tournament here is quite an accomplishment and will definitely feel great.”

Broadhurst followed his opening 66 with a 70 at Poppy Hills.

“Really enjoy the course,” Broadhurst said. “Played it on Wednesday with Bernhard Langer in practice and really, really enjoy the course. Played a lot harder today. It was pretty calm on Wednesday. Today, it’s quite a bit of wind out there, so makes it tricky.”

Some players were unable to finish before dark. France’s Jean Van de Velde was the top player still on the course at 3 under with two holes left.

Playing in the morning, Sutherland began his run on the par-4 fourth and also birdied the par-5 sixth, par-3 seventh and par-4 ninth. He played his opening nine in even par with two birdies and two bogeys.

“If you can get Pebble early, it’s always great,” Sutherland said. “Even on a good day it’s always nice to get Pebble early because the greens are a little softer and a little bit fresher as far as not as many spike marks and stuff. Anytime, you can get out there early at Pebble it’s great.

The professionals are playing alongside boys and girls from The First Tee programs throughout the country. Sutherland is teaming with Jonathan Tanihana, also from Sacramento.

“I enjoyed playing with Jonathan tremendously,” Sutherland said. “He’s a fine young man and he’s got a tremendous golf game. And today we made a bunch much birdies.”

Woody Austin and Greg Kraft were tied for third at 5 under. Austin had a 69 at Poppy Hills, and Kraft shot 68 at Pebble Beach.

Langer was 4 under after a 69 at Pebble Beach. The 59-year-old German star leads the tour with four victories this season.

Vijay Singh was even par after a 68 at Poppy Hills.

John Daly was 5 over after his second 74, this one at Poppy Hills.

VICTORIA – World Golf Hall of Famers Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie, as well as four-time European Ryder Cup team member Miguel Angel Jimenez, have committed to play the 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship.

The Champions Tour event will be contested at Bear Mountain Golf Resort’s Mountain Course in Victoria the week of September 19-25, 2016. The tournament will feature a US$2.5 million purse, with 81 players competing for a winner’s share of $375,000.

Singh, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2005, won 34 times over a standout PGA TOUR career, including major championship wins at the 1998 and 2004 PGA Championship, as well as the 2000 Masters Tournament.

The Fiji native competed on the International Presidents Cup team eight times throughout his illustrious career, where 31 of his 34 wins came during the Tiger Woods era. The 34 victories rank 14th on the all-time PGA TOUR wins list, ahead of names such as Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Johnny Miller.

Montgomerie, who spent the vast majority of his career competing on the European Tour, has made a second home on the Champions Tour. The 53-year-old has notched three victories on Tour, including the 2014 and 2015 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, as well as the 2014 U.S. Senior Open – all of which are senior major championships.

The eight-time European Ryder Cup team member compiled one of the all-time best records in the biennial event, posting a 20-7-1 stat line without losing a singles match. During his tenure on the team, the Scotland native helped the Europeans to five victories, with each coming in his last six years of competition from 1995 through 2006.

Montgomerie won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including seven in a row from 1993 through 1999. His 31 career victories, which are the most of any British player in Tour history, gave way to a World Golf Hall of Fame induction in 2013.

Much like Montgomerie, Jimenez became a household name through his play overseas, including four stints on the European Ryder Cup team alongside 21 victories.

The 52-year-old earned fan favorite status through the years with his trademark ponytail and well-lit cigar during tournament rounds. On social media, Jimenez acquired an entirely new set of fans via his pre-round stretching routine, which combined the looks of yoga and dance to create an infinite number of posts on numerous outlets.

On the Champions Tour, the Spaniard has won an event each of the last three years, with a victory at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in April serving as the most recent. Jimenez has been the best player on Tour this year behind Bernhard Langer, notching a staggering seven top-5 finishes in eight starts, including the win and four runner-up finishes.

The trio of legends was joined by five other players of note in the event’s most recent commitment list, with World Golf Hall of Fame member Mark O’Meara leading the way.

The two-time major championship winner, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015, has two career wins on the Champions Tour, including the 2010 Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship – one of five senior major championships.

Also announced today were 1982 Masters Champion Craig Stadler, former U.S. Presidents Cup team Captain Jay Haas, 2005 PLAYERS Championship winner Fred Funk and 11-time PGA TOUR winner John Cook.

Tournament week in Victoria will begin with Official Pro-Ams on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by 54 holes of championship play from Friday through Sunday, with no cut. All three competitive rounds will be broadcast live by Golf Channel to more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world.

Tickets are also on-sale for this premier event and can be purchased at www.selectyourtickets.com. 

CALGARY – Paraguay’s Carlos Franco rallied to win the Shaw Charity Classic on Sunday at chilly Canyon Meadows for his first PGA Tour Champions victory.

Three strokes behind defending champion Jeff Maggert entering the round, the 51-year-old Franco shot his second straight 7-under 63 to beat Bernhard Langer and Michael Allen by two strokes.

Franco birdied the par-5 18th to finish at 18-under 192. He had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the front nine, birdied four of the first five on the back nine and made his lone bogey on the par-3 16th. The four-time PGA Tour winner won in his 25th start on the 50-and-over tour.

Langer shot 64. The 59-year-old German star won the Boeing Classic last week for his fourth victory of the year and 29th overall on tour.

Allen closed 64-63 after opening with a 67.

Maggert shot 74 to tie for sixth at 10 under. He opened with consecutive 63s.

Rod Spittle was the top Canadian, finishing 8-under and tying for 14th.

Tom Watson shot 67 on his 67th birthday to tie for 26th. He had a 65 on Friday.

John Daly tied for 53rd at 1 under after a 74.

CALGARY – Jeff Maggert shot his second straight round of 7-under 63 at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on Saturday to move atop the Shaw Charity Classic leaderboard.

The defending champion has the outright lead at 14 under through two rounds of play at the PGA Tour Champions event.

Maggert is three shots clear of Carlos Franco, who also carded a 63, to get to 10 under. Charles Schwab Cup standings leader Bernhard Langer shot his second straight round of 65 to finish Round 2 at 10 under and in third place.

“Jeff Maggert is a good friend of mine, too, and he played well,” said Franco. “I know he’s a fantastic player, but I’m prepared to come strong tomorrow.”

Michael Allen followed up his opening-round 67 with a 64 on Saturday and is tied for fourth at 9 under with Fred Funk and Jose Coceres. After paring the first hole, Allen reeled off five straight birdies before cooling off a bit on the back nine.

“Maggert’s a tough competitor. When he plays well, he doesn’t make a whole lot of mistakes,” said Allen, who teed off almost two hours ahead of the leaders. “If he’s leading by three or four, it’s going to be hard to catch him, that’s for sure.”

Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., had a solid round of 4-under 66 to move into a tie for 18th spot overall at 6 under heading into Sunday’s final round.

“I just hit it in the fairway and probably hit a few more greens today,” said Spittle, who had a chance to get to 7 under, but he missed a short putt for birdie on the par-5 18th hole.

“It would be nice to have a do-over. It wasn’t a very good effort. The third shot was probably closer than the fourth one. I made my fair share today. It would have been nice to finish that way. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

Victoria’s Jim Rutledge and Vancouver’s Stephen Ames are sitting well back in a tie for 66th place at 2 over after shooting rounds of 73 and 72 respectively.

CALGARY, Alta. – David Frost made two eagles and shot a bogey-free 8-under 62 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Shaw Charity Classic.

The 56-year-old South African player eagled the par-5 11th and 18th holes at Canyon Meadows in the round interrupted by lightning, thunder, hail and heavy rain. He was a stroke short of the tournament record of 61 set by Fred Couples in his 2014 victory and matched by Miguel Angel Jimenez last year.

Defending champion Jeff Maggert and Argentina’s Jose Coceres were a stroke back. Maggert eagled the 12th and birdied 18.

Tom Byrum had a 64, and Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Mark Calcavecchia, Mark Brooks, Fred Funk and Kirk Triplett shot 65.

Watson eagled the 18th to break his age by a stroke two days before his 67th birthday. He played alongside Langer, the 59-year-old German star who won the Boeing Classic on Sunday in Washington for his fourth victory of the year and 29th overall on the 50-and-over tour.

John Daly birdied the last for a 67. He has three top-20 finishes in 11 PGA Tour Champions starts since turning 50, with the best a tie for 11th in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie also opened with a 67.

Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., had a 68 to top the three Canadians in the field. Victoria’s Jim Rutledge posted a 69 for a share of 48th, while Stephen Ames was even on the day in front of a hometown crowd.

Rocco Mediate, the 2013 winner, had a 71.

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – By the time Bernhard Langer made the turn in the final round of the Boeing Classic, he was five shots out if the lead. At one point Sunday he was tied for 14th after not finishing lower than 13th in any tournament this year.

A few hours later, Langer had outlasted Kevin Sutherland and Woody Austin in a playoff and was celebrating his fourth PGA Tour Champions victory this season and 29th overall on the 50-and-over tour.

“I blew tournaments when I had a lead and I’ve come from seven behind, so you just never know,” Langer said.

Langer made a 3-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Austin and Sutherland to win the Boeing Classic for the second time. A day after his 59th birthday, Langer birdied the par-5 18th in regulation for a 5-under 67 to match Austin and Sutherland at 13-under 203 at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Austin also had a 67, and Sutherland shot 64, the low round of the week.

It took a special stretch for Langer to recover from a shaky front nine where he needed a few lengthy par putts to stay on the edge of contention. Langer went out in 1-over 37, but played the back nine in 6-under 30, also making birdies on Nos. 10-13 and 15.

“When he gets hot with that broom,” Austin said in reference to Langer’s putter, “you can’t beat that broom.”

Langer tied Lee Trevino for second on the career victory, still well behind leader Hale Irwin at 45. Langer also won the Boeing Classic in 2010.

Langer took advantage of Austin and Sutherland both finding bunkers on the 18th in the playoff. Sutherland ended up in a bunker off the tee, while Austin’s second to the par 5 found a greenside bunker. Langer’s second shot landed 10 yards short of the green and he nearly chipped in for eagle before making the birdie putt to win.

“You need to be precise and have the nerve and play the golf course the way it needs to be played,” Langer said. “There’s still a little bit of life left in me.”

Gene Sauers, the second-round leader and U.S. Senior Open winner two weeks ago, shot a 72 to finish a shot out of the playoff. Sauers started his day with two straight birdies to reach 14 under. But he struggled on the back nine, bogeying three of the first five holes and allowed the chase group to catch up. Sauers was still in contention until making bogey at the 17th after his tee shot came up short. Sauers made birdie at the 18th to finish alone in fourth.

While Langer rolled through the back nine, Austin was hot on the front nine going out in 32. His first mistake of the round came at the 15th when he went for the green in two on the par 5 unaware he was in a tie for the lead because electronic scoreboards on the back nine were not working. Austin found a bunker and ended up making bogey.

“I would have laid up to the right for sure, absolutely, no question,” said Austin, who birdied Nos. 17 and 18 to get into the playoff.

Sutherland started the day seven shots behind Sauers and made eight birdies with no bogeys in his round. Sutherland was attempting to win his first stroke-play tournament on either the regular or senior tour.

 A 66-69-71 showing moved Calgary’s Stephen Ames into a share of sixth at 10-under 206. Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., carded four birdies on a 3-under day to jump into a tie for 43rd at 1-under.

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – Gene Sauers took the Boeing Classic lead Saturday, two weeks after his breakthrough victory in the U.S. Senior Open.

The 54-year-old Sauers two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th for a 5-under 67 and a two-stroke lead over Joe Durant. The three-time PGA Tour winner had a 12-under 132 total at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge.

“I just concentrated on hitting the ball solid, trying to keep it in the fairways and give myself opportunities just like I try to do every week,” Sauers said. “I had opportunities to make the putts and I made a few today, missed a few. I made a couple of stupid bogeys.”

Sauers birdied four of the last five holes, making three in a row in Nos. 14-16.

“Just solid playing,” Sauers said. “That’s what I’m going to try to do tomorrow.”

He’s playing through tendinitis in his left wrist.

“Coming in this week I was not too confident,” Sauers said “I played one time at home because of my wrist and trying to heal it. I didn’t know what to expect coming into this week. But I just won the U.S. Open prior to that, so that kind of builds confidence.”

The U.S. Senior Open victory capped a comeback for Sauers, 10 years removed from nearly dying. He was incorrectly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, spent seven weeks in the hospital and was given a 25 percent chance of survival. Eventually, he was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a disorder of the skin and mucous membranes that causes the skin on the extremities to burn from the inside out.

Durant birdied the last for a 65.

“It’s pretty generous off the tee, but you’ve got to hit good iron shots and I typically am a pretty good iron player,” Durant said. “You’ve got to manage your game a little bit around here. You’ve got to pick your spots because they can put some pins in some corners and greens get firm, you can go through some of the greens pretty easily. Or if you put them in the green-side bunkers, you’re begging for mercy.”

He won the 3M Championship three weeks ago in Minnesota.

Tom Byrum and Calgary’s Stephen Ames were 9 under. Byrum had a 68, and Ames shot 69.

Fellow Canadian Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., sits T58 after a second-round 74.

Kirk Triplett, tied for the first-round lead with Sauers after a 65, had a 71 to drop into a tie for fifth at 8 under.

Bernhard Langer also was 8 under after a 67. The 58-year-old German star won the 2010 tournament and finished second behind Billy Andrade last year. Langer has three victories this year, two of them majors.

Grant Waite (65), Woody Austin (67) and Fran Quinn (67) were 8 under, too.

John Daly was tied for 29th at 2 under after his second 71. He has three top-20 finishes in 10 PGA Tour Champions starts since turning 50, with the best a tie for 11th last month in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in New York. Last week, he tied for 51st in the Czech Masters.

Andrade was tied for 38th at 1 under, following his opening 74 with a 69.

Local favorite Fred Couples is sidelined by back problems.