New Zealand golfer Steven Alker was pipped at the post at the Champions Tour’s season-ending event yesterday.
Stewart Cink capped off his first full-time season on the over-50s tour by lifting the Charles Schwab Cup at the Phoenix Country Club.
Cink rallied past Alker with a bogey-free 4-under 67 to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the tour’s season finale. The victory vaulted him from third to first in the season-long points race, past Alker, who was angling for his third Cup in four years.
Cink’s final round pushed him to 20-under 264 for a two-shot win over Alker, who struggled to a 70.
“It was a good week start to finish,” Cink said.
Both Cink and Alker had two birdies through seven holes yesterday, but Alker missed the green at the par-3 eighth and began to come apart. He bogeyed there and missed par putts at 10 and 12 to cede Cink the lead.
Cink, in fact, birdied the 12th hole to make it a two-shot advantage.
“Up-and-down day, but I didn’t feel like I did a whole lot wrong, to be honest,” Alker said.
“Apart from the greens. I got a jumper flyer on No 10, took me out the back and missed a short putt there. Had a three-putt at 12.
“Just felt like the putter — I three-putted one from the fringe today — let me down on that front nine.”
Alker rebounded with a short birdie putt at the par-3 13th, and both players stuck their tee shots at the par-3 15th close for matching birdies. That was Cink’s final birdie, but Alker had one more push in him when he rolled in his third birdie in a four-hole stretch at No16.
After matching pars at No 17, Alker went for the green at the par-5 18th and lost his shot in the greenside lake, leading to a closing bogey.
Alker had nothing but praise for Cink, who split time on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour last year.
“He’s a world-class player. He could still play on the PGA Tour — he’s got enough length, and he still putts it nice and chips it nice,” Alker said.
“And a world-class guy, too. He’s had a great year”
In a distant tie for third at 15-under were Freddie Jacobson, Jerry Kelly and Tommy Gainey.
Alker slipped to third, behind Cink and Miguel Angel Jimenez, on the Champions Tour money list with 2025 earnings of US$3.17 million (NZ$5.59 million).
— Field Level Media / Allied Media
