Kaupulehu-Kona, HI (SportsNetwork.com) - Miguel Angel Jimenez fired a second-round, 8-under 64 on Saturday and he joined Rocco Mediate (67) in the lead at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship.
Jimenez, who won the Greater Gwinnett Championship last year, finished 36 holes tied with first-round leader Mediate at 11-under-par 133 at Hualalai Golf Club. Mediate has won twice on the Champions Tour, both of which came in 2013. The duo holds a 2-shot lead heading into the final day.
Olin Browne carded a 5-under 67 on Saturday and he is alone in third place at 9-under 135. Fred Couples (64), Colin Montgomerie (66) and Mark O'Meara (67) are all tied for fourth at 8-under 136.
Defending champion Bernhard Langer rebounded from his even-par 72 on Friday with a 7-under 65 Saturday and he jumped all the way into a tie for seventh at minus-7 with Bart Bryant and Esteban Toledo, both of whom shot 69s.
Jimenez, beginning the day three shots behind the leader Mediate, jumped out to a roaring start to take the outright lead before slowing down a little bit late. The Spaniard rolled in four birdies on the front nine on one, four, seven and nine, making the turn at 4-under for his round.
The back nine only got better for Jimenez as he drained three more birdies on 10, 11 and 12, making it four gains in a row. Following a par on 13, Jimenez kept rolling with his eighth birdie on No. 14. Two holes later came Jimenez's ninth birdie on the par-4 16th.
Entering the final hole with a 1-shot lead, Jimenez's second shot leaked to the right and into the rough. Jimenez was unable to make the tough up-and-down and he had to settle for bogey, dropping him even with Mediate at the end of round two.
"I'm playing very well, very solid," Jimenez said. "It's not the best way to finish a round like that, but obviously a 64 you have to very happy. Played very solid, very well."
While Mediate saw the lead taken over early, he played a flawless, bogey-free round of golf a day after making two bogeys in round one. After starting off with a pair of pars, Mediate made back-to-back gains on three and four. Two more pars on five and six preceded Mediate's third birdie on the par-5 seventh.
Mediate made the turn with a trio of pars from eight before making two more birdies on 11 and 13, getting him to minus-11 for the week. While Jimenez made his bogey at the last to fall into a tie for the lead, Mediate coasted to the finish with five straight pars.
"Especially here with this wind coming in, you just have to pay attention. It's just playing the right shot, sometimes pulling them off and sometimes not," said Mediate. "It was nasty out there today."
Browne started his round off slow with a bogey on three, but that was the only blemish on his scorecard on day two. Browne responded three holes later with a trio of birdies from six.
Making the turn at minus-3, Browne drained another gain on No. 10. Back-to- back birdies on 14 and 15 had Browne rolling and he closed things out with three pars from 16 to end two shots behind the leaders heading into the final round.
NOTES: Mediate won both the Allianz Championship and the Shaw Charity Classic in 2013, his rookie season on the Champions Tour ... Jimenez has 21 career victories on the European Tour and one on the Champions Tour ... Langer is looking to finish in the top 10 to start the season after recording 18 top-10 finishes last year.
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