South African golfer Darren Fichardt surged into the lead at the Simmons Bank Championship after carding an 11-under 61 in the second round on Saturday at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock, Arkansas. His bogey-free performance tied the lowest round of the PGA Tour Champions season and gave him a one-stroke advantage heading into Sunday’s final round, with a total score of 14-under 130.
Fichardt, a rookie on the PGA Tour Champions, got off to a strong start, parring the first hole before stringing together birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie over the next four holes. He completed the front nine with an 8-under 28, then added birdies on holes 10 and 11. After a stretch of six pars, he closed his round with a birdie on the par-5 18th. His round matched the tournament record low set last year by New Zealand’s Steven Alker.
Zach Johnson, the first-round leader and two-time major winner, slipped to second place after a second-round 67. Johnson, 50, overcame a challenging front nine to shoot five-under on the back nine, positioning himself one stroke behind Fichardt at 13-under 131. Johnson is set to play in the final group on Sunday alongside the leader.
Steven Alker, who also shot a 67 on Saturday, shares third place at 11-under 133. He secured the last spot in the final threesome for the final round alongside Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who posted a 68 for the day and is tied with Alker. A group of four players—including South African Retief Goosen, Jerry Kelly, Argentine Ricardo Gonzalez, and Michael Block—all sit at nine-under 135 after their second-round scores.
The top 36 players in the Charles Schwab Cup standings following Sunday’s round will advance to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix in two weeks. Fichardt’s outstanding performance lifted him from 46th place to a projected 13th in the standings, enhancing his chances to move on to the title event.
Reflecting on his round, the 51-year-old Fichardt described it as his “best round ever,” particularly praising his play over the first 11 holes. Alker is one of three players on the PGA Tour Champions to have recorded a 61 this season; he accomplished the feat earlier this year at the Rogers Charity Classic. Mark Wilson is the only other player to have matched that score so far this season.