May 25, 2018 2 min read

Kevin Sutherland and Scott McCarron have been rivals since their junior golf days around Sacramento, California. The two old friends were back at it Friday at the top of the Senior PGA Championship leaderboard.

“It’s honestly, nothing new for us,” said Sutherland who played in the third-to-last group and birdied his last two holes for a 5-under 66 to match McCarron at 8 under.

McCarron had a 68 in the morning wave to emerge from a championship record group of six tied for the first-round lead.

Sutherland was last year’s Charles Schwab Cup winner with his only senior win coming in the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, while McCarron has six PGA Tour Champions wins, including a major at the 2017 Senior Players Championship.

“We are both (Northern California) guys, played in high school, junior golf, on tour and it seems like a lot on the Champions Tour,” Sutherland said. “We were in the last group on Sundays a lot last year. Scott played so well and had an incredible year, and I had a great year, too.”

Sutherland’s lone PGA Tour victory came at McCarron’s expense in 2002 at La Costa in the Accenture Match Play Championship, when he beat McCarron 1 up in the 36-hole final. As youngsters they played on opposing high school teams located about an hour apart and met often in state tournaments as well as on the California junior circuit.

“It’s been happening for 30 years, wait 35 years now, I guess,” Sutherland said. “Playing together on a Saturday is a little different. We’re both still trying to get in position to win.”

Jerry Kelly shot a 65 to join Tim Petrovic (69), Chris Williams (68) and Joe Durant (67) at 7 under. Durant tied for second last week in the Regions Tradition, also a major championship.

Rose leads at Colonial: Justin Rose shot a 6-under 64 in the second round at Colonial, getting to 10 under for a one-stroke lead over Emiliano Grillo in the Fort Worth Invitational. Rose had five birdies in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of his round.

Japanese teen leads LPGA event: Nasa Hataoka shot a 4-under 68, and the Japanese teenager leads by one stroke over Minjee Lee after the second round of the LPGA Volvik Championship in Michigan. Hataoka made seven birdies at Travis Pointe Country Club.