Henrik Stenson & Mario Tiziani Share Stifel Charity Classic Lead

• Henrik Stenson and Mario Tiziani share the lead after 36 holes of the Stifel Charity Classic.
• Tiziani’s bogey-free 8-under 63 set the tournament’s second-round scoring record.
• Shane Bertsch and Scott Parel are one stroke back going into Sunday’s final round.

Henrik Stenson and Mario Tiziani went a combined 15-under on Saturday at Norwood Hills Country Club. Tiziani shot 63 and Stenson 64, which leaves them tied for the lead after two rounds of the Stifel Charity Classic, the first of three events in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs.

They sit at 9-under 133, a stroke clear of Shane Bertsch and Scott Parel. Darren Clarke led after the first round but could only manage a level-par 71 and is two back.

Neither co-leader has won on PGA Tour Champions. Both arrived in St. Louis worrying about the playoff cut line as much as the trophy.

Tiziani’s record round

Tiziani was seven strokes better than his opening 70. His round was bogey-free, with eight birdies, and he came home in 5-under 30. Nobody had shot lower than 64 in the second round of this event; Brett Quigley and Colin Montgomerie shared the old mark from 2023. Tiziani’s was also the only bogey-free card of the day.

The 63 equals his lowest score on the over-50 circuit, the Sunday 63 he shot at the Sanford International in September on the way to a tie for third. He followed that with a tie for fifth at the SAS Championship last week. Before Sanford he had no top-10 finishes in 2026.

“I think I’ve just found what works for me. It’s just not result oriented. Just trying to do the best I can with the shot in front of me. If that’s good enough, it’s good enough, but just move on. That’s just kind of where I’ve stuck the last several weeks,” Tiziani said.

“I had a couple of key up-and-downs honestly that kept the round going, two of them that I can think of,” he added. “I wouldn’t say it was unbelievable, but I had a lot of chances and I hit some close ones, too.”

The 56-year-old is in his 98th senior start and has seven top-10 finishes. His previous best at this event, in two appearances, was a tie for 54th. A win would make him the sixth first-time winner on the circuit this season, after Zach Johnson, Boo Weekley, Scott Hend, Ben Crane (in the team event with Clarke) and Vaughn Taylor.

He began the week 49th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, five places inside the top 54 who move on to the Simmons Bank Championship. He is now projected 13th.

“I think I’ve got what it takes.” Making his 98th PGA Tour Champions start, Mario Tiziani is still searching for win no. 1. His Saturday 63 has him tied for the lead @StifelCC. https://t.co/bU8fTeyDEw

— PGA Tour Champions (@ChampionsTour) October 24, 2026

Stenson goes low on the par-5s

Stenson followed his opening 69 with a 7-under 64, his best score on PGA Tour Champions. His previous low was a 65 in the second round of the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS. He birdied every par-5.

“The greens are quick, they’re running very pure and you’ve just got to be very cautious anytime you’re above the hole. So there’s some where you’re going to be flirting with danger if you try to keep it below as well. So it’s a bit of a catch 22 on a few approaches,” Stenson said.

“I still left a few good chances out there, but you’re not expecting to make everything, that would be too greedy, I think,” the Swede added. He was heading to the range for “a quick bucket” before resting up for Sunday.

The 2016 Open champion at Royal Troon is 50 and making only his eighth start on the senior circuit. He played the Asian Tour’s SJM Macao Open last week and tied for 10th. His best senior finish so far is a share of second at the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach. He has not won a PGA Tour-sanctioned event since the 2017 Wyndham Championship.

The stakes are higher for Stenson than for Tiziani. He came in 56th in the standings, two places outside the cut line, and a win would guarantee his spot in Little Rock. On current projections he would climb to 16th.

The chasers

Bertsch added a 66 to his opening 68 and is chasing his second PGA Tour Champions title in his 157th start. Parel also shot 68-66. His opening round was bogey-free, and he started the week 54th, exactly on the cut line.

Clarke shares fifth at 7-under with Steven Alker and Mark Hensby. Alker shot 68-67 and is looking for his 15th senior win and fifth of 2026, plus a third Charles Schwab Cup title after 2022 and 2024. A victory would put him alongside Zach Johnson (six wins) and Stewart Cink (five) as the only players with five or more this season.

Cink and Johnson went the wrong way. Cink, the defending Cup champion and points leader, followed a bogey-free 67 with a 73. Johnson, second in the standings, shot 72. Both are tied for 25th at 2-under.

Who is moving across the cut line

Only the top 54 in the standings after Sunday advance to next week’s Simmons Bank Championship. The top 36 after that go on to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix from November 12 to 15.

On current projections, Stenson, Bertsch and Hensby all move inside the top 54. Bertsch, who arrived 70th, is projected 48th, and Hensby rises from 62nd to 51st. Justin Leonard, tied 37th, is projected to fall from 52nd to 57th. J.J. Henry, tied 56th, would drop from 53rd to 60th. Chad Campbell, tied 45th, came in 50th and is projected 55th, one place outside the line.

The $200,000 Sprint to St. Louis prize goes to whichever of the three finalists finishes highest this week. Johnson led the points race into the event ahead of Alker and Tag Ridings, but Alker is currently 20 places ahead of him on the leaderboard.

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