Van Phillips will head into the final round of the 2026 Champions UK plc European Senior Masters at the top of the leaderboard, after another impressive performance at La Manga Club saw him establish a one-shot advantage.
The Englishman followed Friday’s opening round of 65 with a six-under-par 67 on Saturday, taking his overall score to 14-under-par as he looks to secure his second Legends Tour title.
With Chile’s Felipe Aguilar just one stroke behind and India’s Jeev Milkha Singh moving into third following the lowest round of the tournament so far, the stage is set for a competitive final day in Murcia, Spain.
Phillips, who began Saturday sharing the lead with fellow Englishman Matthew Cort, maintained his position at the top with seven birdies during his second round.
Despite dropping his first shot of the tournament, Phillips recovered well, with consecutive birdies on the sixth and seventh holes contributing to another strong score.
The 2024 WINSTONgolf Senior Open champion is now within reach of adding a second Legends Tour victory to his career record, although he faces stiff competition from several players who remain firmly in contention.
Reflecting on his performance, Phillips said: “There were a couple of key up-and-downs straight off the bat. I made really good putts on ten and 11, which were my first two holes, and then a great chip on 12. They were real momentum shots. I birdied 13 and then it started to flow a little bit.”
Aguilar remains Phillips’ closest challenger after matching his round of 67 to move to 13-under-par for the tournament.
The Chilean golfer briefly moved ahead during Saturday’s play, producing an excellent opening nine of 31 that included six birdies.
Although he was unable to maintain that scoring pace throughout the remainder of his round, Aguilar finished the day just one shot off the lead, putting himself in an excellent position to challenge for the title.
A two-time DP World Tour winner, Aguilar will be hoping to draw on his experience when he returns to the course for Sunday’s final round.
One of the standout performances of Saturday came from India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, who climbed the leaderboard with an exceptional nine-under-par round of 64.
Singh recorded nine birdies without a single bogey, finding 17 of 18 greens in regulation and finishing particularly strongly with three birdies across his final four holes.
The four-time DP World Tour winner, who finished tied third at last month’s Reignwood Legends Championship in Beijing, now sits alone in third place on 12-under-par, just two shots behind Phillips.
South Africa’s Jean Hugo and overnight joint leader Matthew Cort are also still in the running, sharing fourth place at 11-under-par.
Hugo followed his opening 66 with a four-under-par 69, continuing the form that has already delivered him two Legends Tour victories this season, including last week’s Portugal Legends Championship.
Meanwhile, Cort added a three-under-par 70 to Friday’s impressive opening round, leaving him three shots behind Phillips with 18 holes remaining.
Further down the leaderboard, 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie is among five players tied for sixth place on nine-under-par.
Lawrie recorded a four-under-par 69 on Saturday, while Adilson da Silva made one of the day’s biggest moves with a seven-under-par 66, finishing his round with three consecutive birdies.
They are joined by Stephen Gallacher, Emanuele Canonica and Maarten Lafeber, who all remain within five strokes of the tournament leader.
Elsewhere, major champion Richard Bland improved his overall position with a four-under-par 69, moving to five-under-par for the tournament, while tournament host Peter Baker recorded a five-under-par 68 to reach four-under-par.
With several players still capable of mounting a challenge, attention now turns to Sunday’s final round, where the 2026 Champions UK plc European Senior Masters champion will be crowned.
