Ernie Els shrugged off any effects of his birthday celebrations that might have lingered from the day before with a bogey-free five-under-par 67 on Saturday in the PGA Tour Champions’ Dominion Energy Charity Classic.

Els is the only player in the field without a bogey this week at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, after he made four birdies on the front nine and one on the back. With his opening six-under 66, he has moved to 11-under-par and a two-stroke lead over YE Yang and Bernhard Langer. Countryman Retief Goosen was in a share of fourth with Justin Leonard in eight-under-par after his second round of four-under-par 68.

Els holds the 36-hole lead or co-lead for the fifth time this season, including three solo leads in his last six starts. He also has four top-10 finishes in five previous starts at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, with a best finish of a share of fourth in 2021. His last win of seven career-titles on the PGA Tour Champions came at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in January.

Goosen trails by three in a bid for his fifth victory in his 142nd PGA Tour Champions start. The 2025 Sanford International winner would become the seventh multiple winner of the season with a win on Sunday. He is currently projected to seventh after entering the week in eighth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

Els started the week in fourth place on the standings, and is currently projected to rise to second in the rankings which he topped last year.