Has Steve Alker begun a potentially historic treble for New Zealand golfers
Alker during his most significant win in 2022 – the Senior PGA Championship – file photo PGA of America
The third-place finish by Steve Alker behind Padraig Harrington in this morning’s final event of the year on the PGA Tour Champions, The Charles Schwab Championship, was enough for the 51 year old New Zealander to secure the Charles Schwab Cup and in doing so he has kept alive the chances of New Zealand golfers securing the top position on three majors tours in 2022.
While he might have finished eight shots behind this week’s winner, the significant lead Alker had built up as a result of an extraordinarily consistent season saw him hold off Harrington for the season long title.
With Ryan Fox within striking distance of leader, Rory McIlroy, in the race for DP World Tour honours with just this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to be decided, and Lydia Ko currently leading the Race to the Globe on the LPGA Tour with just this week’s CME Globe Tour Championship to play, New Zealand could well have completed a unique treble by this Sunday.
With Alker winning four times in 2022 including a major victory at the Senior PGA Championship and Harrington winning four events including the all-important US Senior Open, the pair have dominated the PGA Tour Champions this season but it would be Alker who emerged the champion for the season despite Harrington defeating him by eight today.
Alker’s earnings for 2022 (US$3,544,000) are now the second highest by any player in the history of the PGA Tour Champions, only Bernhard Langer earning more previously (US$3,677,000).
Alker won four times, was runner-up four times and on 13 occasions finished inside the top three.
“Yeah, amazing,” said Alker who lives in the Phoenix area. “Honestly, just having friends and family and the support here this week has been amazing. It will come out tomorrow sometime, but amazing. Playing with Padraig today, it was kind of difficult because do I chase him, do I protect. I just tried to play my game as good as I could, but he played amazing and just glad to be champion.”
When asked if there were nerves involved in his last round diel with Harrington Alker replied: “Yeah, sure, a little bit, especially as I said, trying to chase and win the tournament but trying to win the Schwab Cup as well. There was all these scenarios and what ifs. It was hard to keep focus on me and what I was doing, but just glad to have the finish I did, a couple birdies the last five there, so it was good.”
Alker will get to play his own National Open for the first time in several years when he tees it up at the New Zealand Open in early March in Queenstown and there will be a lot of interest in just how he manages against a younger field but given the dominance against some of the game’s greatest names at this level he should do well.
Queenslander Rod Pampling was the only Australian in the field this week and finished 25th in the select 33 player field. Pampling has completed another fine season on the PGA Tour Champions, finishing the year in 19th place in the Charles Schwab rankings with earnings over US$900,000.
