Mike Weir shot a 5-under 67 to build a two-shot lead after the second round of Cologuard Classic on Saturday, putting Phil Mickelson in a deep hole in his bid to win his three straight PGA Tour Champions events.
Weir shot 66 in the opening round and had eight birdies in breezy conditions at tricky Tucson National. The Canadian left-hander was at 13 under, with Kevin Sutherland second heading into the final round.
Tim Petrovic became the second player in PGA Tour Champions history to have a hole-in-one in consecutive rounds with an ace on No. 14. He was 8 under after a 67.
Bernhard Langer lofts a shot from the third tee during the second round of the 2021 Cologuard Classic golf tournament at the Omni Tucson National Resort on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (Rick WileyArizona Daily Star via AP)
Mickelson is bidding to become the first player to win his first three career starts on a PGA Tour-sanctioned tour. The five-time major champion was nine shots back after a 72 that included a second straight day of hitting out of the mud on No. 15.
Mickelson was the last amateur to win a PGA Tour event as 20-year-old in Tucson 30 years ago, but has burned the edges of holes through two days in his return.
Lefty hit into the large wash dissecting the course for the second straight day, pulling a drive on the par-5 second after doing the same on No. 13 Friday. He had a stretch of three birdies in four holes after the double bogey on No. 2 and another on the par-5 12th when he got up and down from a greenside bunker.
Tim Petrovic hits off the third tee during the second round of the 2021 Cologuard Classic golf tournament at the Omni Tucson National Resort on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (Rick WileyArizona Daily Star via AP)
Mickelson hit out of the mud on the par-5 15th in Friday's opening round after a 5-iron rolled farther than he expected and trickled into the pond on the dogleg right. He hit driver in the second round and ended up with the same result when his ball landed on the fairway and caromed hard right.
Mickelson left his shoes on for his mud shot in Friday's round and made a 4-foot birdie putt after slopping it out. He opted to take his shoes off for his second muddy go-round and had another birdie chance despite spraying himself with mud, only to watch the putt slide by the hole.
Weir shot 1-under 35 on the front nine before going on a birdie binge. The 2003 Masters champion ran off a string of seven birdies in eight holes to start the back nine, but a pulled approach shot on the par-4 18th led to a bogey.
Mike Weir watches hit putt on the 9th green during the second round of the 2021 Cologuard Classic golf tournament at the Omni Tucson National Resort on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (Rick WileyArizona Daily Star via AP)
Petrovic had an ace on No. 16 in the opening round and pulled off rare consecutive-day aces on the 186-yard 14th Saturday. Petrovic raised his hands in the air as the handful of fans cheered, then curled up into a fetal position on the tee box after watching another improbable ace.
The only other PGA Tour Champions player with aces in consecutive rounds was Graham Marsh at the 2004 Senior British Open.
Sutherland had four birdies and eagled the par-5 17th to shoot a bogey-free 67.
Scott Patel hits onto to the green during the second round of the 2021 Cologuard Classic golf tournament at the Omni Tucson National Resort on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (Rick WileyArizona Daily Star via AP)
Scott Parel was three shots off the lead after a bogey-free 67 that included five birdies.