Stephen Ames maintains his lead in Senior PGA but Weir and Langer are among the pursuers

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. —  If Stephen Ames had his way in the 82nd KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, the 58-year-old Canadian would prefer to be the hunter instead of the hunted in Sunday’s final round at Harbor Shores.

“I don’t like to be that guy, period,” said third-round leader Ames after his 4-under-par 67 in Saturday’s third round left him at 12-under 201, two strokes ahead of fellow Canadian Mike Weir and PGA Tour Champions legend Bernhard Langer of Germany, who also recorded 67s at the par-71, 6,852-yard Jack Nicklaus design by Lake Michigan.

In addition to Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, and Langer, who has won two Masters and a record 11 senior major titles, the leaderboard’s top 12 golfers include defending Senior PGA champion Alex Cejka of Germany and the top two money-winners on senior circuit – No. 1 Steve Alker and No. 2 Miguel Angel Jimenez.

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That’s heady company for the 58-year-old Ames, the 2006 Players champion who has just two senior victories, to hold off.

“Either way I look at it, I’m going to go out there and play my game,” Ames said. “I can’t control what anybody is doing. The only thing I can control is myself, so I’m going to try and keep my emotions the way they are right now and play golf. If it comes out, it comes out.”

The 64-year-old Langer and the left-handed Weir, who started the day two strokes behind Ames and his co-leader and housemate for the week, Scott McCarron, were among the 39 golfers who shot sub-par rounds in Saturday’s ideal scoring conditions which were opposite of Friday’s rain, wind and cold temperatures.

Ames started his round with birdies at Nos. 2 and 3. After he bogeyed the 436-yard seventh hole, Ames finished the front with a birdie on the par-5 ninth to turn in 2-under 34. Ames then birdied Nos. 10 and 12 and finished with six straight pars to maintain his lead over Langer and Weir, who stumbled on their way to the clubhouse.

“I was just keeping it in play and getting those long putts really nice and close,” added Ames, who had double bogeys in each of his first two rounds but didn’t come close to one Saturday.

The 52-year-old Weir couldn’t avoid one at the par-3, 201-yard 17th hole where his 6-iron tee shot missed a bunker but not a rake outside of it. The ball caromed off the rake into the hazard where it lodged against a couple of branches. Weir ended up making an 8-footer to save his double bogey.

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“That was an unfortunate bounce,” added Weir, who made seven birdies in his round, including five in a six-hole stretch beginning at the fifth hole. “I hit a nice drive and an 8-iron close at 18 (for his last birdie).”

Langer would be a shot closer if not for his three-putt bogey from 35 feet at 18, his only mistake in a round which began with a birdie at No. 1 and two more at Nos. 6 and 9 for a front-side 33. He added two more on the back nine at Nos. 12 and 15 before chipping in from the fringe for par at the par-4 16th and then getting up-and-down at No. 17 for another par.

“It’s always fun to be in contention,” said Langer, who has three top-10 finishes in previous Senior PGAs played at Harbor Shores in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Langer, who makes his home in Boca Raton, Florida, completed the senior grand slam with his Senior PGA championship in 2017 at Trump National outside Washington, and while he didn’t play in the 2018 event at Harbor Shores because of his youngest son’s high school graduation, he did show up for its media day.

“The golf course was perfect,” Langer continued. “(It was) really (in) very good shape. Nice fairways, fantastic greens and the weather was phenomenal.”

As was the scoring. American Paul Goydos, who has just three bogeys in three rounds, was a stroke behind Langer at 9-under 204 after a four-birdie 67. A stroke behind Goydos at 205 are defending Cejka (68), Florida’s Brian Gay (69) and the 50-year-old Alker (69), who has two victories and almost $1.2 million in earnings. Alker managed to overcome a pair of double bogeys in his round with six birdies.

Jimenez, who is No. 2 in money earnings with two victories, had the best round of the day, a 6-under 65, and leaped into a tie for eighth at 7-under 206 with Americans Shane Bertsch (67) and Gene Sauers (66), Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee (66) and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who fought through a stiff neck to shoot 68.

Sunday’s weather is predicted to be sunny and warmer but with gusty south winds. That could mean Harbor Shores’ record winning scores of 19-under 265 by champions Rocco Mediate (2016) and Paul Broadhurst (2018) could be safe.

82nd KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship

When: Sunday’s final round begin at 8 a.m.

Where: Harbor Shores (Par 71, 6,852 Yards), a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in Benton Harbor, Michigan

TV: Golf Channel 3-4 p.m. and NBC Sports 4-6 p.m.

Tickets: Flex Tickets are $30. A Flex-Pack, priced at $90, includes four tickets. Active and retired military personnel receive complimentary admission. Up to four junior golfers under the age of 17 get free admission when they accompany each adult holding a Flex ticket. 

Scores/tee times

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – Pairings for today’s final round in the 82nd KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at the par-71, 6,852-yard Harbor Shores Resort golf course. (cp) denotes club professional:

 8:15 a.m.

Stephen Dodd, Wales                                 68-72-80—220         (+7)

Neal Lancaster (cp), North Carolina         74-71-76—221         (+8)

Scott Parel, Augusta, Georgia                   71-74-70—225         (+12)

 8:26 a.m.

Brett Quigley, Barrington, Rhode Island  71-73-76—220         (+7)

Billy Andrade, Bristol, Rhode Island         72-72-76—220         (+7)

Bob Sowards (cp), Dublin, Ohio                68-74-78—220         (+7)

 8:37 a.m.

Stephen Leaney, Australia                         70-75-74—219         (+6)

Joe Durant, Pensacola Beach, Florida    70-74-75—219         (+6)

Thomas Goegele, Germany                       72-72-76—220         (+7)

 8:48 a.m.

Corey Pavin, Dallas, Texas                        73-72-73—218         (+5)

Jay Haas, Greenville, South Carolina      72-71-75—218         (+5)

Jeff Sluman, Hinsdale, Illinois                    70-73-75—218         (+5)

 8:59 a.m.

Omar Uresti (cp), Austin, Texas                72-70-75—217         (+4)

David Frost, South Africa                           73-72-73—218         (+5)

Harrison Frazar, Dallas, Texas                  71-74-73—218         (+5)

 9:10 a.m.

Phillip Price, Wales                                      71-72-73—216         (+3)

Kirk Triplett, Paradise Valley, Arizona      70-75-72—217         (+4)

Dicky Pride, Birmingham, Alabama          67-77-73—217         (+4)

 9:21 a.m.

Tim Fleming (cp), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma     71-74-71—216         (+3)

Glen Day, Australia                                     69-75-72—216         (+3)

Gary Wolstenholme, England                    69-74-73—216         (+3)

 9:32 a.m.

Olin Browne, Tequesta, Florida                 70-74-71—215         (+2)

Paul Claxton (cp), Claxton, Georgia         65-77-73—215         (+2)

Michael Campbell, New Zealand              71-70-74—215         (+2)

 9:43 a.m.

Peter Fowler, Australia                               70-72-72—214         (+1)

Roger Chapman, England                          70-75-70—215         (+2)

David McKenzie, Australia                         71-74-70—215         (+2)

 9:54 a.m.

Retief Goosen, South Africa                      71-74-69—214         (+1)

Tim Weinhart (cp), Atlanta, Georgia         73-70-71—214         (+1)

Tom Lehman, Scottsdale, Arizona            72-71-71—214         (+1)

 10:16 a.m.

Paul Stankowski, Flower Mound, Texas  70-71-72—213         (E)

James Kingston, South Africa                   69-71-73—213         (E)

Shaun Micheel, Memphis, Tennessee     70-68-75—213         (E)

 10:27 a.m.

Paul Broadhurst, England                          72-69-71—212         (-1)

Rod Pampling, Australia                             69-68-75—212         (-1)

Jeff Maggert, Sea Pines, South Carolina 71-72-70—213         (E)

 10:38 a.m.

Jerry Kelly, Madison, Wisconsin               69-72-70—211         (-2)

Joakim Haeggman, Sweden                      67-74-70—211         (-2)

Michael Allen, Paradise Valley, Arizona  68-73-70—211         (-2)

 10:49 a.m.

Bob Estes, Austin, Texas                           64-76-70—210         (-3)

Tim Herron, Deephaven, Minnesota        71-71-69—211         (-2)

Y.E. Yang, South Korea                             71-71-69—211         (-2)

 11 a.m.

Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland                68-74-68—210         (-3)

Chris DiMarco, Denver, Colorado             67-74-69—210         (-3)

K.J. Choi, South Korea                               68-72-70—210         (-3)

 11:11 a.m.

Woody Austin, Derby, Kansas                   67-72-70—209         (-4)

Charlie Wi, South Korea                             70-73-67—210         (-3)

Billy Mayfair, Edmond, Oklahoma             70-73-67—210         (-3)

 11:22 a.m.

Kevin Sutherland, Sacramento, California          68-71-70—209         (-4)

Duffy Waldorf, Rensselaer, Indiana          66-74-69—209         (-4)

Tim Petrovic, Austin, Texas                       69-70-70—209         (-4)

 11:33 a.m.

Colin Montgomerie, Scotland                     69-71-68—208         (-5)

Scott McCarron, Mooresville, North Carolina      68-66-74—208         (-5)

Mark Hensby, Australia                               67-75-67—209         (-4)

 11:44 a.m.

Tracy Phillips (cp), Tulsa, Oklahoma        69-68-70—207         (-6)

Ernie Els, South Africa                                67-70-70—207         (-6)

Ricardo Gonzalez, Argentina                     69-72-67—208         (-5)

 12:06 p.m.

Thomas Levet, France                                67-73-67—207         (-6)

Brandt Jobe, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 68-71-68—207         (-6)

Robert Karlsson, Sweden                           66-72-69—207         (-6)

12:17 a.m.

Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand                       70-70-66—206         (-7)

Padraig Harrington, Ireland                        68-70-68—206         (-7)

Shane Bertsch, Parker, Colorado             67-72-67—206         (-7)

 12:28 p.m.

Brian Gay, Windermere, Florida                68-68-69—205         (-8)

Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spain                    67-74-65—206         (-7)

Gene Sauers, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida      67-73-66—206         (-7)

 12:39 p.m.

Paul Goydos, Long Beach, California      69-68-67—204         (-9)

Brian Gay, Windermere, Florida                68-68-69—205         (-8)

Alex Cejka, Germany                                  68-69-68—205         (-8)

 12:50 p.m.

Stephen Ames, Canada                             68-66-67—201         (-12)

Mike Weir, Canada                                      65-71-67—203         (-10)

Bernhard Langer, Germany                       68-68-67—203         (-10)

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: KitchenAid Senior PGA at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich.