Steve Alker narrowly misses second major title
Steve Alker – file photo courtesy of PGA of America
New Zealand’s Steve Alker and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez were locked in an intense battle throughout the 72 holes of the Kaulig Companies Championship at the Firestone Country Club’s South Course in Akron, Ohio, but 61 year old Jimenez emerged the winner after holing a 20 foot birdie putt at the second extra hole of a playoff to win his 4th event of the season.
The pair were tied through 54 holes, and although Alker looked in control of a second major title with just a few holes to play, Jimenez birdied the final two holes of regulation play to force the event into extra time.
For Jimenez, it was his 17th PGA Tour Champions title, and he races well clear of Alker in the race for the Schwab Cup standings.
For Alker, it was his 7th top-five finish of the season and his second runner-up, but a second major to go with his 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship eluded him.
“I had a chance to win the golf tournament,” said Alker. “It was some sloppy golf in the middle, I had to kind of mentally battle through some missed fairways and some sloppy golf in the middle, but I was really proud of how I kind of come down the stretch. I hit the last like five fairways or something and five greens and just gave myself chances. Yeah, I’m proud of that.
“You know, he made the plays. I hit a great putt on 17, I thought I made the putt on 17 in regulation and that would have given me just that little two-shot cushion. Yeah, he made the plays coming down the stretch. You look back and you go jeez, a bogey here or there, you know what I mean? I think Firestone got me. I think I had two bogeys every day. Just can’t do that around here.”
Alker, though, added another US$308,000 to his already significant earnings for the season, taking them to US1.6 million.
Jiminez is playing some of his best golf of his PGA Tour Champions career, eleven years after first joining and winning in 2014.
“Well, it’s very special,” said Jimenez.”I played very well this year, but coming in this third major of the year, I’ve been playing very well. This week I win here and put my name on the side of all great names through the history of the golf tournament here on this beautiful golf course, probably one of the better golf courses we’ll play all year. No words to explain, fantastic.”
Michael Wright and Richard Green were the next best of the Australasians when they shared 7th place, a double bogey at the last proving costly for Wright, who also finished 7th in this event last year.
