Defending his maiden PGA Legends Tour title, Norris sits at 10-under after a 6-under 63 put him two shots adrift of leader Stolz on 12-under, with a well-credentialled pack in a tie for third on 7-under.

Mat Goggin set to join Stolz and Norris in the final group after a Saturday 64 took him into the five-way tie at 7-under with Peter Lonard, overnight leader David Fearns, last week’s NSW Senior Open winner David McKenzie and 12-time winner in 2024 Chris Taylor.

Early in the day, it looked as if Stolz might run away as he seeks to win the title for a second time after triumphing in 2020 and prepares to head to the PGA TOUR Champions qualifying school next month.

Birdieing the first, Stolz made two more on the trot from the third, before another shot against par at the sixth as he prepared to make the turn.

Norris also 4-under for the day before the pair dropped shots at the tricky par-3 ninth as the win began to swirl and the greens firmed up in the afternoon sun of Sydney’s north west.

“Funny day,” was Stolz’s overall assessment.

“Trying to predict again, the wind was sort of up and down a little bit again today, so of course it blew hard on the tough holes.”

Norris managed to get his dropped shot back immediately at the next, but it was more trouble for Stolz when his tee shot clipped a branch that sent the ball left and into the penalty area at the par-4 10^th.

Nearly saving par with a great chip, Stolz got moving in the right direction again at the par-3 11^th when holing out from the greenside bunker.

The Queenslander birdieing the next before chipping in again for bridie at the next par-3, the 14^th, as Norris, who described his swing of late as “an octopus in a phone booth”, tried to keep pace with his fellow winner at Richmond.

Matching birdies came at the par-5 15^th for Norris and Stolz, with the latter benefitting from caddie, and head professional at Richmond, Nick Barnham’s local knowledge.

Preparing to hit a hybrid for his second, Stolz was talked into less club to find a gap right of the green that led to an up-and-down birdie as they headed for the new home three-hole stretch that Stolz played a role in laying out this year.

It was three straight pars for both to close, as they watched the third member of the group Adam Henwood, a close friend of Norris since junior golf, come to life and ensure he landed inside the cut line that fell at 5-over. PGA TOUR winner John Senden making the cut on the number and first off on Sunday alongside evergreen Peter Senior.

Stolz noting his improvement on the slower than expected putting surfaces as part of his run to a two shot lead with 18-holes to play.

“My speed was definitely better,” he said.

“I had a good talking to myself and I sort of did some extra putting, I thought the practise green today matched more the course, whereas yesterday morning maybe hadn’t quite got to roll it or anything yet.

“My speed felt definitely better today.”

Also trying to gauge the ball’s reaction on approach shots as the greens firmed up during the second round, Stolz knows that despite his lead, Norris and the group at 7-under, and even David Bransdon and Mike Harwood on 6-under, can make up ground early at Richmond.

Norris hoping to recreate his final round charge of 2023 on Sunday as he seeks to become the tournament’s first back-to-back winner since Orville Moody in 1986 and 1987.

“I’ll try and play aggressive, whereas I felt like I lost the aggressiveness today, I was a bit nervy with some shots,” Norris said.

“Last year I was so good in the last round where I just played aggressive the whole way, so I didn’t care about anyone else and that’ll be the goal again tomorrow.”

Stolz also only focused on tomorrow only, but still considering how victory might alter his lead up plans to his American sojourn with a new category for the winner earning them a spot at the BMW Australian PGA Championship in two weeks.

“Just see how it fits in with everything,” he said of the potential start.

“I played at RQ (Royal Queensland) there a few times. If we could play off the normal members tees, I’d be quite happy to go.”

Rounds two and three of the Nova Employment Australia PGA Senior Championship will be broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports and Kayo.

Hailing from Queensland, but a longtime Sydney resident and owner of Golf Traders in the city’s Inner West, a hot putter saw Fearns open with a 7-under 62, with a one shot advantage over Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz and Mike Harwood, who is headed for semi-retirement.

Stolz and Harwooda shot in front of the evergreen Peter Lonard chasing his first Australian PGA Senior Championship and Andrew Welsford, with PGA TOUR Champions player David Bransdon and last week’s NSW Senior Open winner David McKenzie part of a six way tie for sixth on 4-under.

Bransdon and McKenzie’s opening 65s matched by 12-time winner this year Chris Taylor, Terry Pilkadaris, Lucien Tinkler and defending champion Jason Norris.

Teeing it up on the PGA Legends Tour more than any other player, with 62 starts in 2024, Fearns first round started with a missed birdie putt at the par-5 first, before the story changed quickly from there.

“It was sensational,” said Fearns surmising his day that included four consecutive birdies from the second.

“It was just one of those days with the putter. I haven’t putted that well for five years.”

A working putter is just part of the equation to success at Richmond, which is in its 10^th year of hosting the over-50s version of the Australian PGA Championship and requires straight driving, with Fearns combining both in his eight birdie, one bogey round.

“I still enjoy playing pro-ams. I love it, but I just love playing golf,” Fearns said.

“I think for me now, over the last few years, it’s definitely been about the putter, the ball striking has still been, never changed, hasn’t changed. But today I’ll just holed a lot of putts.”

The putter will need to stay hot over the weekend given the quality of the chasing pack, especially 2020 champion Stolz, who is prepping his game to head to the final stage of PGA TOUR Champions qualifying school next month.

Without a bogey on his card, Stolz looks dangerous at course he played a role in a change of layout to a tougher finishing stretch, while also accommodating the new party hole eighth.

“I was a bit worried about the forecast with the strong westerly blowing and it was actually really weird today. The wind was sort of switching back and forwards,” Stolz said.

“So that’s sort what made it tricky, but it didn’t really start blowing hard until towards the end. I just found the greens really slow. I was a bit spooked.

“The putting green was really slow, beautiful condition, but it was slow, and my first putt today, I ran it about eight feet by and I was like, ‘Oh, they’re quick’. And then I’ve left seven putts, short in the jaws.”

For Harwood, who has decided this week at Richmond will be his last 54-hole event ahead of playing occasional one and two day Pro-Ams to “live happily ever after” it was an impressive bogey free day as the wind picked up for the afternoon field.

The Victorian’s 6-under 63 powered by his straight driving.

“I didn’t miss a fairway and I played good. Just only hit one bad shot. Bit of a surprise but happy,” Harwood said.

“This is my last three round event, so I was pretty keen to play well in it.”

Always likely to play well here, Lonard’s new short game improvement he spoke of pre-tournament didn’t show up at first but was part of a tidy 5-under 64 that included an eagle at the par-5 15^th.

“Kind of … the first chip and putt I had did was the worst chip I’ve ever seen, which is the way it works I suppose. But outside of that it was pretty good,” Lonard said of his short game.

“Nice little 5-under, actually played pretty good. Probably left a few out there, but I played okay without going crazy. But 5-under is always a nice way to start.”

Catching fire in the middle of his round, Canberra’s Welsford missed a makeable chance on the par-3 eighth, before he capitalised at the next following another good short iron and got on a run that saw him tied for the lead through 15 holes, before he admitted “the neck tightened” and he bogeyed 16 and 17.

Making his over-50s debut at this event last year, before heading to Champions Tour qualifying school and keeping his card, Bransdon’s experience of playing alongside major winners has given him an extra edge he is looking to use this week.

“It’s been a bit whirlwind from this time last year,” Bransdon, who has lost weight thanks to a Keto diet and cutting out bread, said.

“I hadn’t been to Q School yet for Champions Tour, I was just sort of finding my feet with the senior golf and I played okay here and I played good in a bunch of the good stuff in the Pro-Ams.

“But it all led to Q School in a matter of weeks and then getting through and keeping my card basically.

“It is confidence. That’s what it gives me. I can compete with the best guys over-50 in the world, so if that means I’m one of the favourites here, I’m more than comfortable with that.”

Rather than worrying about favouritism, or the potential spot at the BMW Australian PGA Championship in two weeks via a new category like Bransdon, Fearns is keeping his eye firmly on what is in front of him.

“Tomorrow I’ll try and do exactly what I did today … one shot at a time.”

Rounds two and three of the Nova Employment Australia PGA Senior Championship will be broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports and Kayo.