(Photo credit score: Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK by way of Imagn Images)
Zach Johnson elevated his in a single day lead from one to 3 factors on Saturday after two rounds of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga.
The event is utilizing the Modified Stableford scoring system to encourage aggressive play. Rather than scoring relative to par, factors are awarded per gap — minus-1 for a bogey, zero for par and two for birdie. Eagles are value 5 factors whereas double bogeys are minus-3.
Johnson completed +13 on the day, and mixed along with his opening spherical of +15, sits at +28 heading into Sunday’s closing spherical.
The two-time main champion on the PGA Tour carded seven birdies and made one bogey on Saturday. He birdied 4 of the final seven holes and has a three-point lead over South African Retief Goosen (+25) and seven-point lead over 4 others.
‘(I) hit it good. Really hit my driver good except for 18 and possibly one different one if I’m not mistaken,’ mentioned Johnson. ‘Encouraged, inspired with the trajectory of my sport.’
Johnson, who completed tied for eighth eventually week’s Senior PGA Championship, is optimistic about his sport.
‘I used to be unstable final week. I do know I had an honest week from a end standpoint, however I had 10 bogeys and three doubles,’ mentioned Johnson, who turned 50 in February and received his first title on the senior tour in March. ‘It was very colourful, if you’ll. I’m attempting to wash that up.’
Goosen improved from +12 on Friday to +13 on Saturday. He picked up 12 factors on his final 11 holes, which included birdies on two par-threes.
Asked if his spherical felt like a rating of 66, Goosen mentioned, ‘I do not know what it appears like actually. You do not actually — you are simply a lot extra into factors and attempting to simply birdie each gap. It’s humorous the way it works, you are not likely serious about a rating, you are simply considering birdie.’
Goosen’s countryman Rory Sabbatini, David Duval, George McNeill and Ben Crane are all at +21, whereas Alex Cejka of the Czech Republic is at +20.
Canada’s Stephen Ames fired one of the best spherical of the event on Saturday with a rating of +16 and is tied for tenth at +18. He earned 5 factors on his first gap of the day, making an eagle on the par-5 No. 10.
–Field Level Media