GLENVIEW, Ill. – Jerry Smith shot a 2-under 70 on Sunday to win the Encompass Championship for his first title on the Champions Tour.

Smith had a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the 54-hole tournament, but the margin was down to one over David Frost when he reached the 579-yard, par-5 16th hole. The 51-year-old Iowa native hit his second shot left into a greenside bunker, but holed out for a crucial eagle with two holes to play.

“Bunker play’s not my forte, but I’ve worked a lot on it and I did like what I saw when I walked up to it,” Smith said. “I didn’t think it was a real difficult shot, so I felt like I could make four. Making three was obviously a bonus and probably helped me to get to the house the last two holes.”

Smith finished at 16-under 200 at North Shore Country Club, setting a tournament record. Frost had a 68 in the final round and was three strokes back in second.

“It’s always a journey,” Smith said. “I’ve always said that.”

Smith’s only tour victory had been the 1998 Guam Open on the Asian circuit. He lost his PGA Tour card after the 2007 season and had taken two club pro jobs before turning 50 and earning his Champions Tour card. He played in Europe last year and took third last week in the Swiss Seniors Open.

“Well, obviously in your career you don’t really think about winning and so forth – at least a guy like myself, who’s kind of been a so-called journeyman player all these years,” Smith said, and then called the victory, “surreal.”

Frost made five birdies and had three putts on the closing holes get to the edge of the cup without falling.

“But it was a good day,” Frost said. “I’m happy for Jerry. He’s quite a journeyman, so there’s room for everybody out here.”

Wes Short fired a final-round 68 to take third at 204. Bart Bryant and Woody Austin tied at 11-under 205.

Smith started the day with bogeys on the first two holes.

“I hit two perfect drives on 1 and 2, so those butterflies were kind of taken away,” Smith said. “But I just hit two very poor iron shots and, who knows, maybe it was a good thing in hindsight but it wasn’t the start I was looking for.”

Smith said he never looked at the scoreboard at 16 before teeing off.

“And obviously, maybe had I looked at the leaderboard on 16, who knows, maybe I don’t go for it in two, maybe I don’t make eagle,” he said.

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Jerry Smith matched a tournament record with an 8-under-par 64 Saturday to take a three-shot lead after the second round of the Encompass Championship.
Smith is at 14-under 130 as he seeks his first professional title of any kind. Mark Goodes was second, while Bart Bryant, Fred Funk and David Frost are among the group five strokes back.

Smith, who tied for third last week at the Seniors Swiss Open, was six under par for his first seven holes Saturday at North Shore Country Club, sinking an 11-foot eagle putt at the 579-yard, par-5 16th. He started on the back nine and shot 30.

He tied the tournament’s 18-hole record set by Russ Cochran last year in this Champions Tour event.

Smith, 51, played in Europe last year and has played in 14 Champions Tour events. The only other time Smith has led in a pro tournament was in the 2005 Virginia Beach Open on the Web.com Tour.

Goodes followed nine straight pars with four birdies in five holes to shoot 32 on the back nine and take the lead until Smith played in the afternoon.

Goodes didn’t turn pro until age 50 in 2007, and his only Champions Tour victory came in the 2009 Allianz Championship.

Lee Janzen, Funk and Frost followed up first-round 65s in which they were tied for the lead by shooting 70 and are tied with Bryant and Woody Austin for third at 135.

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Lee Janzen likes what he’s seen from his golf game lately even if it means not seeing much of his home.

Janzen birdied three straight holes Friday to close his front nine and went on to shoot a 7-under 65 at North Shore Country Club to share the first-round lead in the Encompass Championship with Fred Funk, David Frost and Brad Bryant.

Janzen qualified in New York on June 8 for the U.S. Open, then followed up his two rounds at Chambers Bay near Seattle with a sixth-place finish at the Constellation Senior Players Championship outside Boston. He played the next week in the U.S. Senior Open in Sacramento and flew to Washington, and now he’s in the Chicago area for another Champions Tour event.

“Fortunately, I feel like I’ve got a decent idea about what I’m doing with my golf swing, so I don’t have this urgency to go to the golf course and hit a lot of balls,” Janzen said.

Janzen started on the back nine Friday and birdied the 15th and 16th holes to get to 3 under. He missed the green on No. 17 but then chipped in for a birdie.

“I probably would have had a 6- to 8-footer for par coming back had it not gone in,” Janzen said. “I came out of that hole smelling a lot better than it looked.”

Janzen is still smarting from his failure to make the cut in the U.S. Open, which he blamed on two shots that led to a double and triple bogey.

“If I had just paid attention a little better on two irons shots and made a few putts, I feel like I would have had a chance to at least finish in the top 10,” he said.

Funk began the season bothered by a sore elbow and sat at home for three months before returning.

“I’m trying to hit the ball better and I’m able to play,” Funk said. “But I can’t swing the way I want to swing.

“The doctors told me I’ve got a bunch of tendons hanging on by threads, they say, on both sides – inside and outside. They said eventually it will just go away on its own … maybe.”

Both Funk and Bryant had stretches of four birdies in five holes on their back nine.

Funk’s bogey-free round was his best to start a tournament since the Champion Tour’s opening round of the 2014 season. He holed out from a greenside bunker at No. 5, his 14th hole.

“I played really solid today overall,” Funk said. “I gave myself some chances, but I actually had a couple little breaks, too.”

Bryant’s score was his best in any Champions Tour event since 2012.

“I did not expect too much warming up today,” he said. “I figured something out at the end of my warmup session, and on the golf course I hit it great. It came out of nowhere.

“It sort of felt like the old Brad today.”

Jerry Smith, Mike Goodes, Craig Stadler and Rod Spittle are a shot behind the leaders.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The crammed leaderboard at the U.S. Senior Open has some familiar faces heading into the final round and one notable name nobody expected to challenge for another major.

Good luck predicting what will happen Sunday.

Bernhard Langer and Jeff Maggert shared the lead at 5-under 205 at Del Paso, where conditions cooled off Saturday after consecutive days above 100 degrees. But the competition remained hot, with eight players one shot off the lead, including 65-year-old Tom Watson and defending champion Colin Montgomerie.

“It’s like a horse race,” Watson said. “Getting close to the wire.”

Langer shot a 2-under 68, and Maggert had a 70.

Watson, who was tied with Maggert and Peter Fowler through 36 holes, salvaged a 71 after making a 20-foot par putt on the 18th hole that sent the gallery into a roar. Montgomerie had a 70, and Kenny Perry surged into contention with a 64.

The trio was joined by Fred Funk (68), Grant Waite (69), Scott Dunlap (68), Woody Austin (69) and Jim Carter (70). Fowler shot a 72 and was among six players at 3 under.

“The only way to separate yourself is by playing great golf,” said Langer, who should feel comfortable in this position.

Langer and Montgomerie have combined to win six of the previous seven senior major championships. Maggert had the other victory during that stretch earlier this year at The Tradition, where Perry won in 2014.

“I’m kind of getting sick of seeing them, actually, especially on top of the leaderboard,” Maggert said. “But it does seem to be a pretty constant theme out there.”

The lone contender nobody saw coming is the Hall of Famer who has made a career of winning on golf’s biggest stages.

It’s just been a while.

Watson, an eight-time major champion on the PGA Tour, is decades past his prime. He’s is trying to become the oldest winner of the event, the oldest to win a senior major and the oldest to win on the Champions Tour.

“I don’t know what that will require me to do, but I hope that I’m within a body length of the leader – if there’s a leader out there,” Watson said.

Each leader took a different route through 54 holes.

Nobody more than Perry, who came out of nowhere with six birdies on his front nine – tying a nine-hole event record with a 28 – and before shooting par on his back nine. Perry, who began the day seven shots off the lead, was so far out of contention he started his round on the back nine under the split-tee setup.

“I felt like I was playing a round of golf with my buddies. Just very relaxing, didn’t have much spectators,” Perry said.

Now he’ll try to complete another huge comeback in this championship in front of a crowd.

Perry rallied from 10 strokes behind after 36 holes to win the 2013 U.S. Senior Open in scorching heat at Omaha Country Club. He turned in finals rounds of 64 and 63 for a five-stroke victory.

“I know I did it once. Hopefully, I can do it a second time,” Perry said.

Montgomerie shot 2 under on his front nine before giving it back after the turn. Maggert made three birdies and three bogeys, including on the 18th for a chance to take sole possession of the lead. And Langer looked comfortable again with his usual caddie, Terry Holt, back on the bag for him.

Holt sat out the first two days recovering from a reaction to a spider bite on his leg. Bobby Siravo, a Del Paso member and former professional golfer, caddied for Langer on Thursday and Friday.

Langer’s long putter carried him again, including a 25-foot birdie on No. 13. But his approach on the 18th landed in the long, lush rough below the green, and he missed an 8-foot putt to save par.

Even still, Langer has been as good as anybody on the Champions Tour in this spot.

The 57-year-old German won his second straight Senior Players Championship two weeks ago. And he has won five senior majors, which is tied for fifth most.

Just don’t call him – or anybody – a favorite Sunday.

“You’ve got to try and avoid mistakes and make some putts and hit some incredible shots,” Langer said. “It’s the only way to really separate yourself.”

Canadian Stephen Ames posted a two-over-par 72 in the third round.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Tom Watson still gets quite a thrill seeing his name atop the leaderboard.

Maybe even more at age 65.

Watson withstood the scorching heat to shoot a 1-under 69 on Friday, finishing in a three-way tie atop the bunched leaderboard after the second round of the U.S. Senior Open.

“The illusion that I can still do it,” Watson said when asked what keeps him playing competitive golf. “I don’t have the tools in the toolbox I used to have. They’re missing. Some of the tools are missing. And so it’s getting more and more difficult for me to compete, but I still feel as if I can somehow get it done.”

Sure seems that way so far in Sacramento.

Watson was joined at 5 under for the championship by Jeff Maggert and Peter Fowler. Maggert shot a 65, and Fowler a 66 in their morning rounds.

But all the attention turned to the Hall of Famer heating up in the sizzling sunshine.

Watson made four birdies and three bogeys to provide the drama at sun-drenched Del Paso Country Club, where the temperature soared above 100 degrees again. Watson is trying to become the oldest winner of the event, the oldest to win a senior major and the oldest to win on the Champions Tour.

“To hit a shot under pressure that’s really a good golf shot is why I’m out here,” Watson said. “That’s what I like to do. And when I get to the point where I can’t do it or I can’t do it often enough to really satisfy myself, then I won’t be out here.”

It’s the fourth time Watson has held or shared the lead through 36 holes at the U.S. Senior Open. He has never won the event, which is in its 36th year.

A victory would be the exclamation point to his storied career.

Watson will play in his final British Open next month at St. Andrews. He’s the only man to claim the claret jug on five courses – but never at St. Andrews – and suddenly seems ready to be more than a feel-good story at the Old Course.

If he can sweat out the competition at Del Paso, Watson would be the oldest player to ever win such an event.

Allen Doyle was 57 when he won the U.S. Senior Open in 2006. Jock Hutchison was 62 when he won the Senior PGA Championship in 1947, and Mike Fetchick was 63 when he captured the Hilton Head Seniors Invitational in 1985.

“Not surprising. I don’t know what else to say about it,” said Rocco Mediate, who is at 2 under after a second-round 66. “He’s got very much control of his golf ball.”

Watson will have plenty of competition this weekend. Defending champion Colin Montgomerie (68), Bart Bryan (65) and Jim Carter (69) are all at 4 under, and several others are within striking distance.

The forecast highs are in the low 90s for Saturday and Sunday, with increasing wind. But neither the course nor the conditions have caused Watson much trouble.

In his opening round Thursday, Watson took advantage of the cooler morning conditions to shoot a 66. When he teed off Friday afternoon, the temperature was about 25 degrees warmer with almost no wind and climbed to 102 degrees in the afternoon.

“The heat wasn’t a big deal today. I was hydrated,” Watson said. “We kept in the shade most of the time, as much as we could. We played at a reasonably good pace.”

Watson controlled his irons, consistently found fairways and putted with precision. He birdied all three par 5s – laying up each time – but provided his most-crowd pleasing moment on the par-4 ninth.

Watson’s 20-foot putt stopped on the lip of the cup before falling in. That touched off the loudest roar of the week around the quant clubhouse, though Watson just straightened his shoulders and exhaled.

He stumbled a bit after the turn, with bogeys on the 10th and 13th. He got one shot back with a birdie putt from the fringe on the par-5 15th, raising his right hand in celebration.

Watson also saved par after hitting into the long, lush rough on No. 17, but he bogeyed on the 18th after his 10-foot putt stopped short – giving him something to think about heading into the weekend.

“I still have nerves,” Watson said. “If you don’t have nerves, you’re lying. The guys out here, if you’re playing in this competition, there’s an element of pressure that affects you. But the thing is I played under this type of pressure all my life.”

Stephen Ames posted a round of 71 today to sit T49 heading into the weekend. Canadian amateur Dave Bunker carded a 4-over 74 today but missed the 5-over cutline by two strokes. Also missing the cut was fellow Canadian Rick Gibson who turned in a second round 76.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Tom Watson has accomplished more in golf than most players ever will. The 65-year-old nearly pulled off a feat Thursday even he had never done: shoot his age in a major championship.

So what if it’s the senior tour?

Watson took advantage of cooler morning conditions to shoot a 4-under 66, grabbing a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the sun-banked U.S. Senior Open.

All that prevented Watson from matching his age on the scorecard was a 35-foot putt on his final hole.

“Man, did I want to make that putt. I was grinding on that putt more than any putt in a long time,” Watson said. “Shoot my age in a U.S. Open championship? That would have been pretty special.”

Instead, the putt stopped short and he settled for par – about the only thing that didn’t work out well for Watson over his final nine holes.

With the temperature soaring over 100 degrees in the afternoon, Watson worked through Del Paso Country Club before the scorching heat in California’s capital city intensified. The eight-time major champion overcame an early double bogey and had four birdies in a six-hole stretch after the turn.

“It shows these great old champs are great old champs for a reason,” said Michael Allen, among a group of players who shot 67.

Allen was joined by Lee Janzen, Jeff Hart, Jim Carter, P.H. Horgan and Woody Austin.

Defending champion Colin Montgomerie and Champions Tour stalwart Bernhard Langer, who have won six of the last seven senior majors, teed off in the afternoon heat – and also had to deal with firmer and faster greens. Montgomerie shot 68, and Langer 71.

But this day belonged to one of the most decorated players in golf history, one whose storied career is about to take a major shift.

Watson will play in his final British Open next month at St. Andrews. He’s the only man to claim the claret jug on five courses (but never St. Andrews).

While one chapter of his career is closing, another seems just fine.

Watson is one of the biggest draws on the Champions Tour – when he plays, that is – along with 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples, who withdrew earlier this week with a back injury.

Watson has won 14 times on the Champions Tour, which is reserved for those 50 and older. His last victory came at the 2011 Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky.

Now he’s in position to end that drought.

The lone hiccup on Watson’s opening round came when he plugged his approach on the 16th hole in the gnarly rough along the bank of the lake and finished with a double bogey. Watson recovered with four birdies on his back nine – including a 50-foot putt on the second – to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

As the sun skied over the Central Valley late in Watson’s round, spectators crowded in the shade along the rough instead of the ropes around the green. Some gathered around cooling stations, and others brought umbrellas and tiny electric fans to try to keep cool.

Many players walked out of their way on the rough to stay in what little shade Del Paso provided. Watson, meanwhile, scribbled notes on his yardage book to prepare for his afternoon tee time Friday, when the temperature is expected to rise above 100 again.

“Usually, you have your diagram on your book that says all right, here’s the bunker, here’s the green like this,” Watson said, pointing. “Now you have a diagram, here’s the shade over here, the shade over here, there’s a shade behind the tee over there. That’s what you’re looking for right now.”

CALGARY, Alta. — Many of the greatest names in golf will continue to thrill Calgary sports fans until 2017, thanks to Shaw Communications extending their commitment as title sponsor of the Shaw Charity Classic for two more years.

The award-winning tournament, which has raised record amounts of money for youth-based charities in Alberta, will continue to be played at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club.

“The Shaw Charity Classic has been a tremendous success, both as a must-attend social event in Calgary, but most importantly as a platform to support fantastic charitable organizations across Southern Alberta,” said Brad Shaw, CEO of Shaw Communications. “As we head into our third year, we are proud to be extending our partnership with the Shaw Charity Classic and to continue working with our Champions Tour and Patron Group partners to support the well-being of children and youth in our community.”

The two-year extension was announced during a special visit by PGA TOUR Commissioner, Tim Finchem in Calgary on Wednesday where he delivered a keynote address on the Business of Sport during a Calgary Chamber luncheon.

“The Shaw Charity Classic has clearly established itself as one of the top events we have on this Tour, and I am thankful for Brad and the entire Shaw Communications team for ensuring it continues to give our players the opportunity to play in Canada until 2017,” said Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR. “Thanks to Clay Riddell and all of the patrons along with Brad Shaw and his team at Shaw Communications. This tournament has all the ingredients of an exceptional event: tremendous volunteer support, strong corporate involvement, unprecedented international media coverage, significant promotional presence in the community, a stellar field, and most importantly of all – it raises big money for charities.”

With the leadership of Shaw Communications, the Shaw Charity Classic made an immediate impact when the tournament debuted in 2013. It received an Outstanding Achievement Award for a first year event by the Champions Tour. It became the first Champions Tour tournament outside the United States to win the prestigious “President’s Award” last year for capturing all the intangibles that make it stand out from the rest.

Most notably, the Shaw Charity Classic has celebrated record setting charitable donations in each of its first two years. The tournament originally went into the PGA TOUR history books with a charitable donation of $2,267,251 in its first year and topped that mark in 2014 by raising $2,406,610 for more than 20 youth-based charities in south-Alberta.

“Our goals have always been very clear in bringing this event to Calgary. To provide Calgarians with the opportunity to witness an elite, family-friendly professional sporting event during the summer, but also to raise significant money to support children’s charities in the city and across the province,” said Clay Riddell, tournament chairman and one of five members that make up the Patron Group who financially back the event. “None of this could be done without the commitment from everyone at Shaw Communications who are true leaders in the community. We are grateful to have them alongside us until 2017 to help build on our solid foundation.”

Rocco Mediate ran away with an impressive seven-shot victory to claim the inaugural winner’s cowboy hat. Fred Couples helped tournament officials deliver a memorable encore performance last year when he shot a final-round 61 that included a chip-in eagle on the 54th and final hole to force a playoff with Billy Andrade. Couples got sized up for a traditional white Calgary cowboy hat of his own after winning the first playoff hole.

BELMONT, Mass. – For about 10 minutes on the front nine in the fourth round of the Senior Players Championship, Bernhard Langer was almost in trouble.

The defending champion three-putted on the third hole at the Belmont Country Club – his first bogey in 48 holes – and the eight-stroke lead he had to start the day was down to six. But he eagled the next hole, then coasted to a six-stroke victory in the third Champions Tour major of the year.

“I enjoy playing with a big lead. But you’ve still got to pay attention. It’s not like it’s over,” said Langer, who claimed $405,000 and moved into second on the tour standings. “You just never know what happens. This game is so amazing: It’s brutally tough when things go bad, and enthralling and thrilling when things go right.”

A two-time Masters champion who won five times on the Champions Tour last year, Langer was winless this year before going wire-to-wire to earn his fifth major on the over-50 circuit. He is the first golfer since Arnold Palmer win in 1984 and ’85 to successfully defend his title in the Senior Players.

“It was a magical week,” Langer said. “Obviously, to do something that Arnie did is amazing.”

Kirk Triplett shot 64 – a score that would have been good enough for a course record at the beginning of the week – to finish six strokes back at minus-13. Starting the day 10 strokes back, he birdied six of seven holes around the turn to win the only competitive battle: for second place.

“I thought: `If I make six more birdies, Bernhard’s going to be nervous,'” he joked. “It’s not the first time this guy’s done this. … Most of us didn’t get out of the gate enough to stay with him.”

Senior tour points leader Colin Montgomerie shot 68 on Sunday to finish in a tie for third after spending the morning at Massachusetts General Hospital being checked out for chest pains. Doctors cleared him in time to get him back to the course for a 1:09 p.m. tee time despite a detour or two to get around a closed bridge downtown.

“I blame the British for building the roads,” the 51-year-old Scotsman said. “Bloody awful.”

Montgomerie earned 322 points in the Charles Schwab Cup standings and has 1,616 for the season – 172 more than Langer, who moved up to second. Russ Cochran (69) and Joe Durant (67) were also in the three-way tie for third.

“Best of luck to Bernhard,” Montgomerie said. “One day it will stop – hopefully sooner than later. But he’s amazing, and all credit to him.”

Langer shot matching 65s in the first two rounds at the par-71, 6,812-yard course and then added a 67 on Saturday to open an eight-stroke lead over Cochran heading into the final round. A bogey on No. 3 might have opened the door, just a bit.

But Langer then put his second shot on the par-5 fourth hole about six feet from the pin, and knocked it in for an eagle. The 57-year-old German earned his 24th victory on the Champions Tour, tying him with Miller Barber for fourth all-time.

“Playing next to Bernhard, he’s pretty solid,” Cochran said. “It just proves that if you want to win out here, you’ve got to do all things.”

BELMONT, Mass. – Bernhard Langer has an eight-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Senior Players Championship, and that doesn’t leave much hope for the golfers chasing him.

The defending champion shot a 4-under 67 in the third round on Saturday and is 16 under in the third senior tour major of the year. Langer has never shot worse than 70 in the final round of the Senior Players.

At the Senior British Open last year, he led by eight strokes after 54 holes and won by 13 – the largest margin of victory in Champions Tour history.

“My goal is to shoot under par. And, if I can do that, it will be very difficult for anyone to catch me,” said Langer, who is trying to become the first repeat winner at the event since Arnold Palmer in 1984-85. “I’m eager to put a `W’ behind my name. But I’m not saying I’m there yet.”

Russ Cochran was even for the day and in second place at the 6,812-yard, par-71 Belmont Country Club.

“He’s a heck of a player and you expect him to take care of his business,” said Cochran, who hasn’t won on the Champions Tour since 2013. “I’m hoping to use this as a building block. … You never know, a victory down the line might start right here.”

Scott Verplank shot a 66 in the third round to move into a four-way tie for third with Colin Montgomerie, Jeff Hart and Guy Boros. Billy Andrade started the day at 1 under and birdied three of the first four holes. He eagled the par-4 eighth hole and finished at 6 under, tied for seventh.

“I knew I needed to shoot a couple of 65s and maybe Bernhard would relax over the weekend,” said Andrade, who is from Bristol, Rhode Island. “But he’s playing so good I don’t know if anyone has a chance.”

After matching 65s in the first two rounds, Langer had a pair of birdies on the front nine and two more on the back in his second straight bogey-free round. He is seeking his 24th victory on the Champions Tour, tying him with Miller Barber for fourth on the career list.

His eight-stroke lead after 54 holes is tied for the largest in the tour’s history. He was ahead by eight after three rounds at Royal Porthcawl last year, matching Jack Nicklaus’ lead in the 1991 Senior PGA Championship.

“Whenever you have a lead on a very good field it takes some really good play,” Langer said. “There are some great champions out there.”

Hale Irwin, who turned 70 on June 3, shot 70 on Saturday. It’s the 18th time he has matched or bettered his age on the Champions Tour.

Montgomerie and Boros each threatened Cochran for second place, improving to 8 under before bogeying the 17th hole. When Langer came around to the 501-yard, par-5, he chipped to six feet to set up another birdie.

“We all kind of marvel at his clarity. He stands over it and he performs,” said Cochran, who will be in the final group with Langer again on Sunday. “So that’s what I take from the day: just how he goes about his business and what a great performer he is.”