The second round of Golfweek Senior Desert Showdown saw gusty winds and cold temperatures keep scoring down to a minimum. Tucson was not the desert paradise many expect to find when they winter there.
Super Senior Robin Rubrecht was the only exception to this lack of scoring. Indian native Rubrecht was not affected by the harsh desert conditions while he carded a round 7-under 65 in the second round. Rubrecht, who was unbeaten by Bogey on the day, jumped into the lead and holds a five shot advantage heading into the final round. Rubrecht’s score, which is also the lowest in the tournament, is not only this.
Jim Starnes, a super senior, was the only one to finish below par. He is currently 1 under for this tournament.
The leaderboard in the Senior Division showed a lot of movement. After a second-round score of 83, Terry Cook fell to 12th place. Cook is unable to repeat his first round success and looks to backdoor his way back to the top 10.
The duo of Mike Lohner & David Nelson are at the top of the senior leaderboard. Lohner was able ride the waves to score an even-par 72 and remain at 1 under for this tournament. Nelson was able to climb up the leaderboard despite being backward.
Nelson was at 1 under until he made a double-bogey on the last hole. This helped him to tie Lohner for first place. With four other players within two shots of them, the pair will be in fierce competition. Five more players are within five strokes.
Golfweek’s No. 2 ranked Kevin VandenBerg is among those who are trying to grab the lead. 2 ranked Kevin VandenBerg.
VandenBerg wants to pursue Lohner, Nelson, and Rusty Strawn. Strawn is not playing this week, but is ranked No. Golfweek Player of Year rankings rank Strawn No. 1. VandenBerg could make a dent on the 1,930-point gap between Strawn and him if Strawn is not around.
New York’s John Hamilton leads Texas’ Bruce Meyer by two strokes in the Legends division. It looks like it will be Oklahoma’s Craig Collins or Steve Wilson in the Super Legends division. The pair of 75-year-olds, who are tied at 3 over each, have been matched shot for shot throughout the week. Chicago’s Gil Stenholm will be fighting at 6 over par if one slips.
As we get closer to the end, four winners will be chosen tomorrow. Check out the 2023 schedule if you’d like to be in the running for next year’s race.
