Steve Alker claims 4th PGA Champions title of 2022
Steve Alker – file photo
Steve Alker has completed a great weekend for New Zealand golf by winning his fourth PGA Tour Champions event of 2022 and in doing so extending his already significant lead in money earnings in 2022.
With Lydia Ko winning in Korea and Ryan Fox finishing 4th in Mallorca and moving to second place on the DP World Tour money list, Alker’s win continues a remarkable run for New Zealand golf of late.
The victory at the Dominion Energy event in Virginia takes Alker’s earnings beyond US$3.2 million for the season and well ahead of the second placed Padraig Harrington.
Alker is now averaging US$154,000 per start in his 21 appearances to date in 2022 and there appears a lot more to come yet with still two lucrative events remaining on the schedule, one of which Alker won in 2021.
Alker made a relatively slow start to the event but moved into the lead with his second round 65 and although he was slow to get going again today he finished with three birdies in his last four holes to win by one over K.J. Choi.
“Fantastic, said Alker after his round. “It was kind of a dogfight down there at the end. I was trying not to look at the leaderboard, because there was so many guys just trying to win this golf tournament.
“So I was just pleased I made those clutch birdies on 15, 16, and especially 17, that was huge. So, yeah, just so glad to — and especially with Paddy and Jerry playing so well and I’m right there as well. So it was exciting and nerve-racking, everything, all those emotions, yeah.”
“I kind of struggled right in the front nine there, and just got it back. But, yeah, pretty important, especially to win the golf tournament, for sure,” he added referring to the importance of this win.
“It really changed when I made birdie on 10, because he bogeyed 10 as well, and all of a sudden, oh, I’m back to like tied for the lead that quickly. So that kind of changed my mindset a little bit. And then there was a couple
tough holes before we started on the shorter holes. So just get through those and then I try and sprint for the finish.”
Alker’s nearest pursuer on the money list, Padraig Harrington, lost ground to him when he finished tied for 3rd and is now some US$550,000 behind heading into the final two events of the season.
Rod Pampling finished as the best of the Australians when he tied for 8th and moved up two places to 18th in the Charl Schwab table.
