Maggert, Singh, Stankowski share first-round lead at The Ally Challenge

Due to heavy rain Thursday night and into Friday morning, the first round of The Ally Challenge was postponed until Saturday; preferred lies are in effect for rounds one and two on Saturday.

Things to Know

• Seeking his fifth career win on PGA TOUR Champions, and first in five years, three-time Buick Open winner at Warwick Hills on the PGA TOUR Vijay Singh opens with a 6-under 66.

• Tying his low score of the season on PGA TOUR Champions (53 rounds), Paul Stankowski opens The Ally Challenge in 6-under 66.

• Two days older than Singh, Jeff Maggert signs for a 6-under 66 a year after closing the event with a 7-under 65 to finish third.

• In his bid to become the fifth player to successfully defend a PGA TOUR Champions title this season, and first since Padraig Harrington at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Open, Steve Stricker The Ally Challenge with a 2-under 70 (T23)

Paul Stankowski (31-35 - 66/-6)

• Making his second start in The Ally Challenge (T23/2022), birdied five of his first eight holes, and seven total, en route to a 6-under 66.

• His 66 marks just his third sub-70 opening-round score on PGA TOUR Champions this season (American Family Insurance Championship/66/finished T17, Shaw Charity Classic presented by Rogers/68/finished T47).

• Best position after 18 holes in 46 previous PGA TOUR Champions starts was T4 (2022 Chubb Classic/T12).

• Making his 17th start of the season, highlighted by a pair of T3 finishes (Trophy Hassan II, The Galleri Classic).

• Career-best finish in 46 PGA TOUR Champions before this week: T2/2022 PURE Insurance Championship.

• Best finish in seven Buick Open starts on the PGA TOUR at Warwick Hills was T39/1998.

• Two PGA TOUR wins in 404 starts: 1996 BellSouth Classic, 1997 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Vijay Singh (34-32 - 66/-6)

• Highlighted by five birdies and an eagle-two at No. 6, the 60-year-old opened his fifth Ally Challenge with a 6-under 66.

• Lone top-20 finish in four previous starts in the event was a T7 in his most recent start of 2021.

• Is 0-for-3 when holding an 18-hole lead/co-lead on PGA TOUR Champions.

• No stranger to success at Warwick Hills G&CC, won the Buick Open on the PGA TOUR here in 1997, 2004 and 2005.

• Seeks a fifth career PGA TOUR Champions title in his 129th start this week, and first since the 2018 Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

• Best of four top-10 finishes on PGA TOUR Champions this season was solo-third at The Senior Open Championship.

Jeff Maggert (30-36 - 66/-6)

• After closing last year’s event with a 7-under 65 to finish third, used five birdies and an eagle-two at No. 9 to open his fifth Ally Challenge with a 6-under 66.

• Is 1-for-3 when attempting to convert an 18-hole lead/co-lead on PGA TOUR Champions into victory (2019 Charles Schwab Cup Championship).

• Seeks a seventh career win on PGA TOUR Champions in his 204th start and first since that 2019 win at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship

• Best finish in 17 starts this season before this week was T13 at the Kaulig Companies Championship

Other Notes

• Defending champion and Charles Schwab Cup leader Steve Stricker opened The Ally Challenge with a 2-under 70 (T23) for the second consecutive year in his bid for a sixth title this season; with a win, would become the fifth player to successfully defend a PGA TOUR Champions title this season and first since Padraig Harrington (DICK’S Sporting Goods Open); the 70 marks his 42nd score of par-or-better in a total of 44 rounds this season.

• In his bid to join Steve Stricker (Regions Tradition, KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship) as players to win in back-to-back starts this season, Ken Duke opened with a 1-under 71 (T35) after claiming his first PGA TOUR Champions title at last week’s Shaw Charity Classic.

• After leading last week’s Shaw Charity Classic by two strokes after each of the first two rounds before settling for his 11th PGA TOUR Champions runner-up finish, Tim Petrovic opened his sixth Ally Challenge with a 3-under 69 (T11); best of the previous five was T3/2019; remains in search of his first PGA TOUR Champions title.

• Past Ally Challenge winners in the field: Joe Durant/2021 (67/T4), Steve Stricker/2022 (70/T23), Paul Broadhurst/2018 (70/T23), Jim Furyk/2020 (71/T35), Jerry Kelly/2019 (72/T50).