Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)
CARY, NC – A late scoring run put Retief Goosen at the top of the 2026 SAS Championship leaderboard following opening-round play Friday at Prestonwood Country Club.
Carding a 65 (-7) for the day, the World Golf Hall of Famer took advantage of pivotal approach shots on his final four holes, scoring birdie, par, eagle, birdie.
As a result, his 33 on the the back nine, coupled with 32 on the front, vaulted him into the overall lead.
“I hit a lot of good iron shots today for a change,” Goosen said after finishing as the clubhouse leader for the day.
“I’ve been hitting everything so far away from the hole, had no chances, and today I probably hit four, five shots within five feet. That makes it a little easier. And these greens are tricky, they’re very crusty and a breeze picked up a little bit. Yeah, overall very happy with the round.”
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Leaderboard – 2026 SAS Championship
Tee Times: Split tees – Hole 1 / Hole 10
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Just a stroke behind, Richard Green’s bogey-free 66 (-6) played to his strengths as he held on while Goosen made his run, finishing with birdies on 16 and 17 before staying level with par on 18.
“Pretty clean. Just didn’t do much wrong, did everything I needed to do right”, Green noted of his round.
“Hit the ball really well. I’m pretty excited about how I’m hitting it, and I’m trying to keep things pretty simple with my process on the greens. It’s not my favorite surface, but if I manage it with a good routine like I did today, I think I’ll do all right with it.”
Who’ll stop the rain
Following a beautiful day of sun and temperatures in the 80s, Goosen, seeking his first SAS title, leads the field into Round 2 play on Saturday with forecasts of rain into the early afternoon and much lower temperatures in the 60s.
“Well, we played this course before in some bad weather so I sort of expect, know what’s coming.” Goosen said.
“Yeah, it’s going to be just a 180-degree turn tomorrow. Just going to warm up and adjust, that’s all we can do.”
Notables
Green seeks his second win on PGA Tour Champions (98th start)…Close behind Goosen and Green, Tag Ridings (3rd) posted a 5-under 67. He seeks his first win on PGA Tour Champions (40th start)…Five players sit T4 at 4-under par: Soren Kjeldsen, David Duval, Paul Goydos, Chad Campbell and Freddie Jacobson all scored 68s in various ways…Never out of it, two-time SAS champion, 69-year-old World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer (T9) opened with 69 (-3) to shoot his age or better for the 51st time on PGA Tour Champions.
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Broadcast Schedule (ET)
Saturday: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Sunday: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. (Golf Channel)
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Triangle Sports Network: 401-323-8960 | @tsportsnet