Savannah, GA – Jay Don Blake and Roger Chapman combined for an 11-under 61 on Saturday and grabbed a 1-stroke lead through two rounds of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf.
Blake and Chapman sit at 17-under 127 at The Westin Savannah Harbor Resort and Spa. The latter is competing in this event for the first time.
Scott Hoch and Jim Gallagher, Jr. also combined for a second-round 61 and moved into second place at 16-under. They are joined there by overnight leaders Brad Faxon and Jeff Sluman (66), former Ryder Cup captains Tom Lehman and Bernhard Langer (65), Tom Watson and Andy North (64) and Craig Stadler and Kirk Triplett (64).
Defending champions Michael Allen and David Frost shot 62 and moved into a tie for seventh place with 2011 winners David Eger and Mark McNulty (63), Mark O'Meara and Esteban Toledo (63) and Mark Calcavecchia and Peter Senior (64) at 15-under.
Blake and Chapman entered Saturday four strokes off the lead, but they slowly closed the gap.
The pair began their round on the 10th tee, and Blake was the early catalyst, picking up birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 15 and 16.
"Jay Don sort of got us going with four birdies on the front nine and then I was feeling like a spare part at the time," admitted Chapman, who caught fire around the turn.
Chapman made his presence known with a run of six consecutive birdies beginning at the first.
"We turned the back side, which is the front nine for us, and that's when I just kind of wanted to get in the golf cart and watch Roger," said Blake.
Chapman drained putts of five, 15, eight, eight, two and four feet in succession to move his squad to 16-under. Then, on the eighth, Blake returned the favor when he holed his shot from a greenside bunker for the pair's final birdie of the day.
"I hit a pretty good bunker shot and it came out pretty nice and kind of rolls in the hole like a putt, so that was pretty nice to see that one go in," admitted Blake.
In the Raphael division, which is reserved for players 50-69 years old, Ian Baker-Finch and Bart Bryant edged Keith Fergus and Blaine McCallister on the third playoff hole to secure the victory. Both teams finished at 14-under 130 through the 36-hole competition.
NOTES: Blake has three career Champions Tour wins. His best finish this season was second at the ACE Group Classic ... Both of Chapman's Champions Tour wins came in 2012 ... Lehman and Langer won this event in 2009. They have combined to win the last three Charles Schwab Cups ... Watson and North won this event in 2008.
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