2026 ISPS HANDA Senior Open: Percy extends lead as the wind brings out the real challenge of the magnificent Kings

Australia's Cameron Percy heads into the weekend at Gleneagles with a substantial three stroke lead as he bids to claim his first Senior Major title, and first win anywhere since the 2014 Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. In extremely tricky conditions with a significant westerly 15-20mph wind to contend with, Percy posted a potentially pivotal back nine of 33 to move to 9-under-par for the championship.

Percy made a slow start during the second round, making bogeys at the two par threes on the front nine, the 5th and 8th, before a birdie at the 9th settled him down, and he held it all together over a fine closing 10 holes. Birdies at the 13th, 14th and 18th, allied with pars at the remaining holes put him in a strong position on Friday night. He will need more of the same composure today to retain his lead.

The demanding conditions emphasised the absolute brilliance of the Kings Course, with players having to be even more precise off the tee, and making club selection even more vital and difficult to execute. Lionel Alexandre came into Friday one shot off the lead, and by the third hole he had even leapfrogged Percy into the lead at -7, but a catastrophic treble-bogey on the 3rd, followed by further bogeys on 9, 13 and 17 saw him fall 6 shots back of the Australian.

"I mean, yesterday I hit it everywhere I was looking, so it was pretty easy. Today was way harder trying to judge how much the wind would hit stuff. I got it around okay. That was the difference, I think," said Percy after his round on Friday.

"I was trying to aim to the middle and swing it nicely and hit it straight and instead I need a stock shot. So I'm trying to hit a little draw. So I'm trying to swing one degree right and make it draw, which is fine.

Today with the right-to-left wind, drew a bit too far. But I feel like I'm aiming just down the left, swing a little right and it should draw and that's what I'm trying to do. All of a sudden I have the whole feel and instead of half the feel and make it perfect.

Obviously very happy. It's such a hard golf course. You've got to concentrate on every single shot. There's no easy holes or anything. You can lose your ball on every shot. That's what I like. It keeps me tuned in, if that makes sense.

It just so hard. I had a 70-yard wedge shot on 12 or something and I missed the green by miles, and the ball went 20 yards in the air from 70 yards, and it's like, it's really hard. You're missing the green from 70 yards, golf is pretty hard."

Heading into the weekend there were just 16 players under par. On Friday there were 11 rounds shot under par, in contrast to the 44 shot under par on Thursday. However, the leading score of 9-under-par shot by Cameron Percy is one shot lower than the 8-under-par which Darren Clarke led with when the Kings Course last hosted the Championship in 2022.

There were four rounds of 80 or more, and the cut fell at 5-over-par, with 79 players making it through to the weekend. Already on Saturday morning there have been 12 rounds over par returned out of the 13 completed at the time of writing.

The course set up and the conditions mean this magnificent 107-year-old James Braid course is more than holding its own against modern technology, and it would not be a surprise if we had less than 10 players under par heading into the final round.

A stiff breeze, a brilliantly set up course with punishing rough and length is irrelevant. The Kings Course is set to serve up more drama over the weekend for sure.

SHANK, by Matt Hooper

Matt Hooper is an Associate Member of the Sports Journalists Association