Playing his last four holes in four under, Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke finished eagle-par-par-eagle on Nos. 15-18 to open the 39th annual Chubb Classic at Tiburón in Naples with a 7-under 65.
“I stood on the 18th green here three years ago and remember saying, ‘I’m never coming back to this place, because the golf course does not fit my eye.’ Then, my caddie Keith Nolan talked me into coming back last year. I had a chance to win, finishing third. Then, he asked if I wanted to come back this year. I said, ‘Maybe. I’m starting to like it a little bit.'”
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Good choice.
More: PGA Tour Champions 2026 Chubb Classic tees off in Naples. What to know
Largely credited for Clarke’s 65 was his accuracy. After missing only one of Tiburón’s 14 fairways, he managed to hit 15-of-18 greens in regulation. Clarke offset two bogeys with five birdies and two eagles to sign for the 7-under score.
“It was nice to shoot 7-under with two bogeys on the card,” Clarke said. “I just kept going. I made the move to a new long putter I’ve been working really hard with. I rolled in some nice putts today, so that was the most pleasing part.”
Making the turn in 4-under 31, Australian Michael Wright overcame a double-bogey-six at the 13th with three straight pars on Nos. 14-16 before adding another at the last to open in 7-under 65 and claim a share of the lead.
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“I played really nice all day,” Wright said. “I felt like most of the putts I should have made, I did make. That was nice, because it doesn’t happen that often.”
While Wright’s game is certainly to be credited for the opening-round score, the overall day was made much brighter having his youngest son, Charlie, on his bag. This marks Charlie’s first time on the PGA TOUR Champions, and third caddying for dear ol’ dad, overall.
“With Charlie on the bag, he’s helped me read putts,” Wright said “I usually never get a caddie to read my putts, but he’s got a good eye for it. I’ve been testing him the last few days, and he’s pretty much spot on. So, I’ve been getting him to read putts. Fortunately, I’m hitting it on the line we’re agreeing on.”
Following last year’s T12 finish in his first Chubb Classic start, the 51-year-old – a week away from his 52nd birthday – went on to secure six top-10 finishes in his second season on the PGA TOUR Champions.
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Wright was “right” on into the fairways and greens in round one, missing only two off the tee and four into the greens.
“Charlie doesn’t show me how to putt, he shows me where to hit it,” Wright explained. “He chooses the line. Sometimes, it was slightly different to what I picked, but his influence on me has been really, really good. We’re going to keep running with it and just see where it takes us.”
Wright’s oldest son, Noah, typically serves as Michael’s regular caddie.
Justin Leonard tees off during play Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Golfers participated in the opening round of the 2026 Chubb Classic event at Tiburon Golf Course in Naples, FL.
Still riding the wave of momentum that came with last year’s Chubb Classic crown, perhaps, Justin Leonard was 5-under through his first seven holes before opening with a 6-under 66.
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“I put the ball in play off the tee, hit a lot of good iron shots and was able to keep the ball pin high a lot. Plus, I holed a few nice putts,” Leonard said. I did make a couple bogeys, but I played well on the par-5s and got off to a good start. I kind of did all the things you need to do around here, including hitting a lot of greens.”
Similar to Clarke, Leonard was accurate off the tee and into the greens, missing only two of each.
“No. 1 is a pretty easy tee shot, while the second is probably the hardest tee shot on the golf course. But, I hit a good one there,” Leonard said. “Then, I was, like, ‘Okay, I got this’. So, yeah, it was nice to get off to a good start, but a few little tweaks here and there is always good and necessary. Otherwise, I’ll plan to just do more of the same tomorrow. I’ll get a little work in this afternoon and make sure I’m comfortable with where things are.”
In his only PGA TOUR Champions start before this week, the Dallas native finished T28 at last month’s Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
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With a win this week, Leonard would become the fourth player to successfully defend the tournament’s title, joining Lee Trevino (1990-91), Mike Hill (1993-94), and Bernhard Langer (2022-23).
On the strength of eight birdies, including five straight on Nos. 11-15, 2020 Chubb Classic winner, Scott Parel, opened with a 6-under 66. Following the five consecutive birdies, a double-bogey-six at No. 17 resulted in the 6-under score.
Seeking a fifth career win on the PGA TOUR Champions, and first since the 2022 Club Corp Classic, the former Georgia Bulldog seeks a first top-10 finish since a T4 at the 2025 Insperity Invitational, a span of 14 starts.
Highlighted by an eagle-3 at the home hole, Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez opened in 6-under 66. The 56-year-old seeks a second career win on the PGA TOUR Champions and first since the 2024 Trophy Hassan II.
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In search of his first win on the PGA TOUR Champions, Rob Labritz birdied five holes in a six-hole stretch coming in to also sign for a 66. With six top-10 finishes in 81 PGA TOUR Champions starts, Labritz remains in search of win No. 1.
Playing his last four holes in 3-under, 50-year-old Bo Van Pelt opened his 14th career start on the PGA TOUR Champions in 5-under 67.
Van Pelt’s closest brush with victory on the PGA TOUR Champions came with a runner-up finish at last season’s Sanford Invitational. Winner of the 2009 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee on the PGA TOUR, the Oklahoma resident is seeking a first TOUR-sanctioned title in 17 years.
Making his PGA TOUR Champions debut this week, Fort Myers’ George McNeill came out solid with birdies on his first three holes. The two-time PGA TOUR winner opened with a 2-under 70 and will begin Saturday’s second round five shots back.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 2026 Chubb Classic first round sees a tie at top at Tiburón in Naples
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