Open Qualifier Mathew Goggin Fires Record 62 to Lead Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS

• Mathew Goggin shot a 10-under 62 at the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS, the lowest score in the tournament’s history.
• Goggin leads Rod Pampling by one stroke heading into Sunday’s final round.
• The 52-year-old open qualifier is seeking his first PGA Tour Champions win in his 14th start.

On Tuesday, Mathew Goggin was at TPC Sawgrass, scrapping for a place in the field. On Saturday he was rewriting the record book at the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Resort.

The 52-year-old open qualifier added a bogey-free 10-under 62 to his opening 66 to reach 16-under 128. That gives him a one-stroke lead over Rod Pampling going into the final round of the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS presented by Circle K.

“I’ve got a one-day qualifier tomorrow for next year.” Mathew Goggin has made six starts on PGA Tour Champions this season, with five coming as an Open Qualifier. He’s looking to lock up his first PGA Tour Champions victory tomorrow @FurykandFriends. https://t.co/fUPDG2UlYg

— PGA Tour Champions (@ChampionsTour) October 10, 2026

The 62 broke a record that had stood for barely a day. Ryan Armour’s 63 in Friday’s opening round was the previous low in the event’s history. It was also the previous best in any PGA Tour Champions event on the Ocean Course, which hosted the Ginn Championship in 2007 and 2008 before this tournament moved there from Timuquana Country Club, its home from 2021 to 2025.

Goggin’s 128 is also a tournament record over 36 holes, four better than the 132 Matt Gogel posted at Timuquana last year. It matches the lowest 36-hole total of the 2026 season, shared with Stewart Cink at the Hoag Classic and Armour at the Rogers Charity Classic.

Both numbers are career bests for Goggin on the senior circuit by a distance. His previous low round was a 65 in the second round of the DICK’S Open this year. His previous best 36-hole total was 134, at the Rogers Charity Classic.

“It’s probably the first tournament where I played sort of how I played in all the qualifiers,” said Goggin. “Shot a lot of good numbers in qualifiers, a lot of low numbers, and sort of the feel like I can finally relax a little bit instead of just putting so much pressure on myself.

“Played nicely and made some key putts and made a nice sand save on 17, which kept my momentum going. Yeah, it’s just the sort of day you have when you shoot 10-under. Everything kind of goes your way.”

From Sawgrass qualifier to 36-hole leader

Goggin earned one of three qualifying spots with a 5-under 67 on Dye’s Valley at TPC Sawgrass. He is making his first appearance in this event, and his form this season gave little hint of what was coming. In six starts in 2026 he has one top-25 finish, a tie for 11th at the DICK’S Open. That is also his best result in 14 PGA Tour Champions starts.

This is the first time he has led or co-led entering a final round on this tour. His previous best position after 36 holes was a tie for seventh at the DICK’S Open.

“I hit the ball a long way and carry it long way, so as far as the par-5s, had a lot of shorter clubs than some of the guys so you can be a little bit more aggressive,” he added.

“So I’m driving the ball well. The course plays quite short and when the greens are soft it’s a big advantage. That’s sort of the main advantage. You can see a lot of guys top of the leaderboard, they move it.”

Goggin made 279 starts on the PGA Tour between 1998 and 2019 and finished tied for second twice, at the 2006 Cialis Western Open and the 2008 Memorial Tournament. He won five times in 199 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, most recently at the 2015 Panama Championship.

That was 4,270 days ago, or 11 years, eight months and ten days. A win on Sunday would end that drought on PGA Tour-sanctioned tours. It would make him the 16th open qualifier to win on PGA Tour Champions, following Tommy Gainey, who did it at this event last year. Goggin would also become the fifth first-time winner of 2026, after Zach Johnson, Boo Weekley, Scott Hend and Ben Crane, whose win came in the American Family Insurance Championship team event alongside Darren Clarke.

He has not dropped a shot all week. Only Michael Wright can say the same. The last player to go 54 holes without a bogey on PGA Tour Champions was Bo Van Pelt at the DICK’S Open this season, and he finished tied for fifth.

The chasers

Pampling, who shared second place after the opening round, followed up with a 65 to sit at 15-under. The 57-year-old Australian is chasing a third senior title in his 153rd start, his first since the 2023 SAS Championship. His best finish this year is a tie for seventh at the Chubb Classic.

Vaughn Taylor and Wright share third place at 13-under after matching 66s. Taylor turned 50 on March 9 and is seeking a first win in his 18th start, with a tie for seventh at the Portugal Invitational his best so far. Wright, 52, is still bogey-free and is also looking for his first title, in his 66th start. He came closest when he tied for second at the Chubb Classic this season.

Armour could not reproduce Friday’s fireworks. A 69 leaves the first-round leader tied for fifth at 12-under.

A hard-earned birdie on the toughest hole on the course for Rod Pampling! He’ll be just one-shot back of Mathew Goggin heading into Sunday @FurykandFriends. https://t.co/w517H4QKt6

— PGA Tour Champions (@ChampionsTour) October 10, 2026

Alker lurking, Sprint to St. Louis in play

Steven Alker is the man nobody at the top will want to see in their rear-view mirror. The No. 3 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings won last week’s Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic for his fourth title of the season. His last four starts read Won-Won-T2-Won.

He was 8-under through 13 holes on Saturday before playing his final five holes in 2-over. That leaves him tied for eighth at 11-under, five off the lead.

This is the fourth of six events in the Sprint to St. Louis presented by Compliance Solutions. The three biggest Charles Schwab Cup points earners across the final five regular-season events become finalists. They head to the Stifel Charity Classic, where the best finisher among them takes a $200,000 winner-take-all prize.

Further down the board, 69-year-old Bernhard Langer carded a bogey-free 66 to move into a tie for 20th. It was the 49th time the World Golf Hall of Fame member has shot his age or better on PGA Tour Champions.

Related: Stirling to Test BirTee Pro Speed+ Against Traditional Golf Tees

The reusable design avoids pushing a tee into hard ground, with potential appeal for winter practice, simulator users and golfers with mobility challenges.

For the latest news in the golfing world, follow us on X.

Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS Leaderboard