Ken Duke takes one-stroke lead into final round at Dominion Energy Charity Classic

Things to Know

• Coming off T7 finishes with one another at last week’s SAS Championship, Ken Duke and Ricardo Gonzalez find themselves Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, after 36 holes of this week’s Dominion Energy Charity Classic, the first of three Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs events.

Ken Duke (first/9-under)

• With just two pars on his first nine holes (six birdies, one bogey), carded a 5-under 66 to reach 9-under 135 a week removed from a T7 finish at the SAS Championship.
• He is 0-for-2 when attempting to convert a 36-hole lead/co-lead into victory on PGA TOUR Champions.
• He began the week at No. 29 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings; projected No. 9 through 36 holes before next week’s Simmons Bank Championship in his home state of Arkansas.
• Through 36 holes, he has hit 23-of-28 fairways and 27-of-36 greens in regulation.
• His only top-30 finish in four previous Dominion Energy Charity Classic starts was T17 in his first start of 2019.
• His most recent of five top-10 finishes this season came at last week’s SAS Championship, where he finished T7 with Gonzalez, who is one shot back through 36 holes this week.
• His lone PGA TOUR Champions victory in 133 starts before this week: 2023 Rogers Charity Classic.

Other Notes

• In his Dominion Energy Charity Classic debut, Argentina’s Gonzalez offset a double-bogey at the par-4 11th with seven birdies to sign for a 5-under 67 and reach solo-second at 8-under 136; his most recent of four top-10 finishes came at last week’s SAS Championship, finishing T7 with this week’s 36-hole leader, Duke.
• Making his fifth Dominion Energy Charity Classic start, 18-hole leader and World Golf Hall of Fame member Retief Goosen followed an opening-round 6-under 66 with a 71 in round two to drop to T3 at 7-under 137; two previous top-10 finishes in the event (2019/T10, 2020/T6) in addition to a win at The Galleri Classic in March, has four top-10 finishes this season, including a T4 at the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS in his most recent start before this week.
• Steve Flesch birdied the par-5 18th to end his round with a 7-under 70 and move to T3 at 7-under 137; in five previous Dominion Energy Charity Classic starts, a T8 in 2019 stands as his best.; he comes off a T11 at last week’s SAS Championship.
• A week removed from his runner-up finish at last week’s SAS Championship, World Golf Hall of Fame member Padraig Harington birdied each of the last four holes for a 6-under 66 and will begin the final round three strokes back at 6-under 138; in two previous Dominion Energy Charity Classic starts, finished T3 in 2022 and T7 in 2023 with victories this season at the Hoag Classic and DICK’S Open, he looks to join World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els as a three-time winner in 2024.
• Beginning the week just outside the top 54 in the Charles Schwab Cup (No. 55), Tim O’Neal followed a 1-under 71 in round one with a 5-under 66 in Saturday’s second round to reach T5 at 6-under 138; through two rounds, he is projected at No. 42 in the standings (only the top 54 advance to next week’s Simmons Bank Championship); he remains in search of his first PGA TOUR Champions title in his 50th start this week.

Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs

• This week’s Dominion Energy Charity Classic is the first of the three Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs events and features the top 72 available in the standings. The top 54 after this week advance to next week’s Simmons Bank Championship in Little Rock, Arkansas. Only the top 36 from the Simmons Bank Championship advance to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix (Nov. 7-10).