Bogey-free 61 vaults Darren Fichardt ahead of Zach Johnson with 18 to play at Simmons Bank Championship

PGA Tour Champions rookie Darren Fichardt carded a bogey-free, 11-under 61 on Saturday, tying the low round of the 2026 season, to hold a one-stroke lead over six-time PGA Tour Champions winner Zach Johnson after the second round of the Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens.

Darren Fichardt, 69-61 – 130 (-14)

Charles Schwab Cup standings – Start: 46th, Projected: 13th

• The 51-year-old rookie seeks his first win on PGA Tour Champions (15th start)
• Carded bogey-free, 11-under 61, tying the 18-hole tournament scoring record in the three years of Pleasant Valley Country Club hosting the Simmons Bank Championship (previous: Steven Alker/2025/Round 1).
• Tied the lowest 18-hole score of the 2026 PGA Tour Champions season (others: Steven Alker/Rogers Charity Classic/Round 2; Mark Wilson, Rogers Charity Classic/Round 2)
• Recorded 8-under 28 on the front nine, the lowest 9-hole score on the front nine across the eight tournament rounds contested at Pleasant Valley Country Club since the event’s relocation in 2024
• Holds his first 36-hole lead/co-lead in a PGA Tour Champions event (previous career-high 36-hole position: 2026 Trophy Hassan II/T2/finished T11)
• Looks to become the seventh first-time winner of the 2026 season
  • Zach Johnson (James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational)
  • Boo Weekley (The Insperity)
  • Scott Hend (Trophy Hassan II)
  • Ben Crane (American Family Insurance Championship) – team event with partner Darren Clarke
  • Vaughn Taylor (Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS)
  • Rory Sabbatini (Stifel Charity Classic)
• Two-time winner on the Staysure Legends Tour with victories at the 2025 Vattanac Legends Championship Legacy Edition and 2026 Staysure PGA Seniors Championship
• Finished No. 4 on the 2025 Staysure Legends Tour Order of Merit and was named the 2025 Staysure Legends Tour Rookie of the Year
• Five-time winner on the DP World Tour, with his most recent title being the 2017 Joburg Open
• Earned spots in PGA Tour Champions events in 2026 via four open qualifiers and two top-10 finishes in open full-field events

Zach Johnson, 64-67 – 131 (-13)

Charles Schwab Cup standings – Start: second, Projected: second

• The 50-year-old seeks his seventh win on PGA Tour Champions (18th start)
  • Previous wins in 2026 (chronologically): James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, Principal Charity Classic, Kaulig Companies Championship, Portugal Invitational, Sanford International, PURE Insurance Championship
  • Turned 50 on Feb. 24
• His six wins are the most by a player on PGA Tour Champions this season
  • Second-most: Stewart Cink (five wins)
• With a win, he would move into T3 on the PGA Tour Champions single-season wins list
  • Would match seven-time single-season winners Bruce Crampton (1986), Chi Chi Rodriguez (1987), Lee Trevino (1990), Hale Irwin (1998), Bruce Fleisher (1999) and Bernhard Langer (2017)
  • Would trail only Peter Thomson (nine wins in 1985) and Hale Irwin (nine wins in 1997) on the single-season wins list
• With a win, he would match the most wins by a rookie in PGA Tour Champions history.
  • Most wins by a rookie: seven (three times: Bruce Crampton/1986, Lee Trevino/1990, Bruce Fleisher/1999)
• Is making his first appearance at the Simmons Bank Championship

Steven Alker, 66-67 – 133 (-11)

Charles Schwab Cup standings – Start: third, Projected: third

• The 55-year-old seeks his 15th win on PGA Tour Champions (118th start)
• Seeks his fifth win of the 2026 season (20th start) and fourth in his last seven starts
  • Previous wins in 2026 (chronologically): Cologuard Classic, Rogers Charity Classic, The Ally Challenge, Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic
• Looks to become the third five-time winner of the 2026 season on PGA Tour Champions, joining Zach Johnson (six) and Stewart Cink (five)
• Defending champion looks to become the third multi-time winner of the Simmons Bank Championship (Bernhard Langer/2010, 2019, 2022; Padraig Harrington/2023, 2024), as well as the second player to win the event in back-to-back years
  • Note: This event was played in Boca Raton, Florida, from 2007 to 2023
• Since the Simmons Bank Championship moved to Little Rock in 2024, he has finished T12 (2024) and Won (2025)
• His position by round at the Simmons Bank Championship since it moved to Little Rock (chronologically): first, T1, T12, first, first, won, T3, T3
• Ranks second in most wins in Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs events (four); With a win, he would match Bernhard Langer (five) for the most since the Playoffs began in 2016

Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs implications

The top 36 players in the standings after Sunday's final round will qualify for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona (Nov. 12-15).

After the second round of the Simmons Bank Championship, four players are projected to move in and out of the top 36.