He didn’t win the tournament, but Steven Alker is the true Champions Tour champion.
Alker’s claimed the season-long Charles Schwab Cup, having finished third in the final event of the season in Phoenix, Arizona.
With Padraig Harrington completing a seven-shot victory, Alker just needed a top-five finish to win the season-long prize.
“It’s a dream come true,” an emotional Alker said. “We’ve just been kind of building up to this time during the year, knowing that’s probably going to come down to the wire. It is amazing, the support we’ve had too, family and friends, it’s been amazing.”
Alker’s 2022 season has been nothing short of incredible. Having toiled away for years on the PGA Tour and second-tier Korn Ferry Tour (formerly web.com Tour), he’s burst on to the scene in the Champions Tour, for golfers aged 50-and-over.
This year alone he’s won four times, finished second on four other occasions and has a total of 17 top-10 finishes to his name this season. He’s won more than $7 million.
“I was just slogging away and trying to stay in shape, keep my game in shape. My plan before coming in, 18 months out, I just had a good plan and got ready for the Champions. It’s all happened very quickly.”
Harrington praised Alker’s entire season.
“He really, truly is a deserved winner of the Charles Schwab Cup.”
The 51-year-old Waikato golfer never really looked like catching Harrington today, particularly with back-to-back bogeys at the 12th and 13th holes.
But he bounced back with two birdies in the latter stages to card a three-under par final round of 68. Harrington carded a 65, finishing on 27-under.
It caps an incredible rise for Alker who had to qualify just to be able to play his first event.
He’s now beaten some of the biggest names in the sport and reigns supreme on the Champions Tour.
SHARE ME