Agonising loss for Alker
In rather bizarre circumstances, New Zealand’s Steve Alker has finished runner-up to Retief Goosen at the PGA Tour Champions’ Galleri Championship at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage in California.
Alker and Goosen were tied playing the final hole today and both missed the fairway at the par 5.
Goosen would play first and topped his 4 iron into the water short of the green following which Alker made the decision to attack the par 5 himself instead of laying up and forcing Goosen to save par from 70 metres out.
With a 5 iron in hand, Alker too would find the water and although he was able to drop near the green he failed to get up and down and was forced to watch Goosen hole a 12 footer for par and win the title.
Alker would later explain the decision.
“Yeah. I mean, it was just a really good solid 5-iron,” said Alker. “I had a super lie, could almost hit driver off the lie in the semi-rough there, that’s how good the lie was.
“If I hit rescue, then I flush it and it’s gone through the green. So just got a little high on the face, a little grassy. It got over. I kind of flew the front, but just got maybe a little unlucky.”
Alker eventually shared second place with Ricardo Gonzalez and Alex Cjeka further highlighting the cost of his decision.
Alker, however remains on top of the Charl Schwab table having recorded a win and now two runner-up finishes in five starts in season 2024.
Monday qualifier Greg Chalmers finished 9th which should earn him a start in the next PGA Tour Champions event.
