BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Stephen Ames shot a 4-under 67 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over fellow Canadian Mike Weir and 64-year-old Bernhard Langer into the final round of the Senior PGA Championship.
Ames had a 12-under 202 total at Harbor Shores Resort.
“I enjoyed the way I played, the way I handled myself, first of all,” Ames said. “Second, I hit the ball right where I was looking at it all day — that helps, obviously. And again, I made some nice putts, which is obviously a key to shooting a good round on a major. Overall it was a fun day besides the pace of play, but other than that, it was pretty good.”
A naturalized Canadian citizen from Trinidad and Tobago, the 58-year-old Ames has three victories on the 50-and-over tour after winning twice on the PGA Tour.
“I’m going to go out there and play my own game,” Ames said. “I can’t control what anybody else 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, and if it comes out, it comes out.”
Weir and Langer each shot 67.
“It’s always fun to be in contention,” Langer said.
Weir made a double bogey in the par-3 17thm with his 6-iron tee shot missing 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. He ended up making an 8-footer.
“That was an unfortunate bounce,” Weir said.
Weir and Ames are trying to become the first Canadian to win a major since the inception of the senior tour in 1980. Langer has a record 11 senior majors, winning the Senior PGA in 2017.
Paul Goydos was fourth at 9 under after a 67.