Goosen Fires 65 With Closing Flurry to Lead SAS Championship After Round One

Retief Goosen saved his best golf for the finish on Friday, ripping through the final four holes in four under par to open with a 7-under 65 and seize the first-round lead at the SAS Championship in Cary, North Carolina.

The 57-year-old World Golf Hall of Fame member was steady through the middle of his round, then turned the closing stretch at Prestonwood Country Club into a highlight reel — birdie at the 15th, eagle at the 17th, and a closing birdie at the 18th to move one clear of Richard Green, who posted a bogey-free 66. Tag Ridings sits third after a 5-under 67.

Five players share fourth at four under, including David Duval, whose mid-afternoon charge briefly had him in the outright lead before cooling to a 68. He is joined by Søren Kjeldsen, Paul Goydos, Chad Campbell and Freddie Jacobson. Bernhard Langer opened with a 69, shooting his age or better for the 51st time on PGA Tour Champions, while Fred Funk withdrew after the round.

Goosen is chasing his second win of the 2026 season after his earlier triumph at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, and the sixth of his PGA Tour Champions career. He arrived in Cary ranked fifth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings and is projected to move to fourth, though a victory cannot lift him past Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson or Steven Alker, who are all skipping the event.

The SAS Championship is the final regular-season event on the senior circuit, with the last spots in the top 72 of the points race deciding who reaches the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs. After 18 holes, Shane Bertsch, Heath Slocum, Mathew Goggin, Harrison Frazar and Kirk Triplett hold the last five projected qualifying places. More weather is expected to move in for Saturday's second round.