Steven Alker doesn’t remember all the specifics of his come-from-behind victory in the 2022 Senior PGA Championship. It was, after all, his fourth win in 18 months.
“It was kind of a blur,” he said.
But one thing he remembers well: Lifting the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy after rallying from four back to win by three at Harbor Shores Golf Club in Benton, Mich.
“That was a heck of a trophy,” a smiling Alker said Friday of one of the largest in golf, weighing a hefty 36 pounds and measures 18 inches wide and stands 42 inches. “It’s huge.”
So was the victory for Alker’s emerging career. The Senior PGA Championship remains the only major championship he has among his 11 PGA Tour Champions titles. He fired a final-round 63 to beat Stephen Ames by three shots.
“It’s great to win a major,” Alker said. “You can never really time these things. It just happened the timing was good. Very much an honor. To win that one was big.”
The 54-year-old New Zealander has a chance to again lift the Bourne Trophy which is 34 years older than him, when he plays in the 86th Senior PGA at The Concession Golf Club on April 16-19 in Bradenton. The Senior PGA, the oldest major in senior golf, returns to Florida for the first time since 2000 for the next three years.
Alker has played The Concession, co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, in competition at the 2023 World Champions Cup as a member of Team International. The back nine of The Concession was used during the matches – Team USA won 23-21 – but he played all 18 holes during a pro-am.
“You’ve got to have your wits about you off the tee,” he said. “There's certainly danger off the tee, but I think it's more of a second-shot golf course. There's a lot going on with the greens, so you need to place that approach shot as good as you can. That's probably the most important thing on the golf course.”
Alker will be among the favorites in the Senior PGA. He has a win in three starts this year and ranks fourth on the money list with $418,000.
He expects to be in contention – he’s won almost 10 percent of his PGA Tour Champions starts – but makes sure his expectations don’t get too high.
“I want to feel that balance that I'm ready to play my game, but you don’t want to feel like you have to make birdies or you should win the golf tournament,” he said. “Just be quietly confident, if you like.”
Alker’s story is one of the more remarkable on the PGA Tour Champions. When he joined the senior circuit in 2020, he was not a household name.
Nor should he have been. He won four times on the Korn Ferry Tour, his last victory coming in 2014, and earned three titles on the PGA Tour of Australasia. His best finish in a major was 19th at the 2012 British Open – his only made cut in seven career starts in the majors -- and he had no top-10 finishes in 87 career starts on the PGA Tour member.
But turning 50 in 2020 provided him with golf’s ultimate mulligan. He had no status, but made his own.
He Monday-qualified for the Boeing Classic and finished T7 to earn a spot in The Ally Challenge, where he finished T3. Alker reeled off four more top-10s to earn conditional status, then won the TimberTech Championship at Boca Raton to earn his card.
Alker finished his out-of-nowhere rookie season with a second in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship to earn $1.1 million during his truncated season – more than the $841,849 he made in 87 career starts on the PGA Tour.
“I always know I was good, but to play with these guys, it's just a matter of feeling comfortable,” Alker said. “I’m comfortable playing with these guys, but giving yourself chances, I think that's the biggest thing. Golf’s always about giving yourself chances and eventually it will happen.”
He has been the PGA Tour Champions Player of the Year twice (2022, 2024) and earned more than $13.3 million. At 54, he’s got plenty of time to add to his incredible story.
“I'm glad I persevered,” Alker said. “I think that was the biggest thing for me, is like persevering, staying competitive, in good shape. I'm happy I did that."
Visit srpga.com for more information on the Senior PGA Championship and to purchase tickets.
