Steven Alker of New Zealand posted a 3-under-par 69 as he cruised to a seven-shot victory at the Simmons Bank Championship on Sunday in Little Rock, Ark.
At the penultimate event of the PGA Tour Champions season, Alker vaulted from fourth to first place in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings. He’s now in position to win his third Schwab Cup in four years.
Alker won the season-long title in 2022, his first full year on the tour, and again in 2024 when he held off South Africa’s Ernie Els in points late in the year.
“Obviously you want to be as far ahead as you can,” Alker said. “I know there’s not much gap, there’s probably five, six guys who can win it. So again, it happens every year apart from (Steve) Stricker a couple years ago. I’ve been there, I know what it feels like and got it done, so hey, we’ll just get working on the game.”
Alker finished the three-day event at Pleasant Valley Country Club with a 20-under-par 196. Buoyed by an opening-day 61, he entered Sunday with a five-stroke advantage on his way to a wire-to-wire victory.
Richard Green of Australia (66) and Tag Ridings (71) tied for second at 13 under par. Stewart Cink (69) was alone in fourth at 11 under.
Alker made his first bogey of the tournament at the par-4 ninth but erased it at the very next hole. On his third shot at the par-5 10th, Alker flipped a wedge shot onto the green, and after the ball’s second hop it backspun straight into the cup for eagle.
“That bogey actually annoyed me because it was my first one of the week, and holed that shot (at No. 10) and I hit some beautiful shots on the next couple holes as well,” Stricker said. “Just kind of got me fired up a little bit I think, that was it. I hit — it’s hard to, you’re so far ahead to just keep those targets, keep firing at them.”
Alker birdied the next two holes before making bogeys at Nos. 13 and 17 coming in.
Ridings made the biggest jump in the Schwab Cup standings. He entered the week on the bubble in the 35th spot — only the top 36 qualify for next month’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix.
Ridings’ stellar week, which began with two rounds of 66, rocketed him up to 22nd place and locked up his berth in the season finale.
Dicky Pride entered the week in the 37th place in the standings and didn’t do enough to surpass No. 36 Tommy Gainey for the last spot in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Gainey went 6 under for the week and Pride finished back at 3 under.
Alker unseated Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez for first place. Jimenez, Cink, Els and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn round out the top five in points entering the season finale.
–Field Level Media
