BRADENTON, Fla. — It’s not like it’s down the street from his old neighborhood, but George McNeill of Fort Myers found The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton to be a pretty friendly place on Friday.
McNeil, 50, shot a solid 4-under par 68 in the second round of the 86th Senior PGA Championship and is 2 under for the tournament, sitting in the top 30 heading into weekend play after a first round of 74.
McNeil had about 12 faithful fans, friends, and family following him on the course on Thursday, April 16. On Friday, April 17, that figure rose to about 20. If he keeps playing like he did on Friday, that number should continue to rise.
Advertisement
“I’m only an hour and a half from home, but I’ve been able to accommodate a bunch of ticket requests so far,” said McNeil, who graduated from North Fort Myers High in 1993. “Even people that I don’t know realize I’m from Southwest Florida. So it’s been good. Hopefully, we’ll get a few more out here over the weekend.”
First round: Bernhard Langer in three-way tie atop Senior PGA leaderboard
McNeill’s first season on the PGA’s senior circuit got started even closer to home. He finished in a tie for fifth place at the 39th Chubb Classic in Naples. He also tied for the runner-up spot at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Classic in Boca Raton in his best Champions rookie season finish so far.
George McNeill watches his tee shot on the sixth hole during the final round of the 2026 James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational at The Old Course at Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton, Florida.
Friday’s round of 68 included a 20-foot par putt on No. 15, followed by three straight birdies to finish the back nine after starting the day on the tee at the 10th hole.
Advertisement
“I’ll take it any day,” said McNeill, who played his college golf at Florida State. “I’m not really making any putts. I’m hitting it well enough. But I’m not taking advantage of the holes when I think I should. I’m not really making a lot of birdies on those holes, but I haven’t made a lot of big mistakes. Hopefully, I don’t make any of those over the weekend.”
One of the big adjustments McNeill has had to make is adapting to all the different courses he now is playing.
“It’s tough playing new courses every week now,” he said. “It makes a big difference.
“But I have a good friend who is a member at The Concession, and I’ve played it quite a few times over the past 18 months. Being familiar with the golf course always helps. I know where to hit it, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to hit it there.”
Advertisement
McNeill is eager to tee off on Saturday just to see what the weekend holds.
“I’m just trying to keep it in play and keep it front of me,” McNeil said. “I’ve had a pretty good start.”
2026 Senior PGA Championship leaderboard
After 36 holes, Scott Hend and Brian Gay are tied at the top of the 2026 Senior PGA Championship leaderboard at 10 under. Sitting two back is Stewart Cink, Ben Crane and Retief Goosen. Other notables include Pat Perez (T-9, 5 under), Padraig Harrington (T-11, 4 under), Ernie Els (T-11, 4 under) and Zach Johnson (T-11, 4 under).
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Senior PGA Championship leaderboard: George McNeill chasing leaders
Read the full article here
