Alternate Cejka claims senior major Regions Tradition

Alex Cejka, making his third senior tour start, outlasted third-round leader and defending champion Steve Stricker in a playoff Sunday at the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s his first win in 2,254 days.

He got in the field for the Champions tour major as the first alternate after Jay Haas withdrew. Cejka’s last win, and lone PGA Tour win, was in the Puerto Rico Open in 2015 when he outlasted four others in a playoff.

He had birdies on Nos. 12, 13 and 14 to take a two-shot lead, and Stricker, the 2021 Ryder Cup captain for the Americans, drained a 15-footer for birdie on 18 to tie for the lead.

– Todd Kelly, Golfweek LPGA: Ariya Jutanugarn dropped to her knees on the practice putting green in a heap of sobs. She’d done it. She’d finally won at home in Thailand. “It feels great to be able to win a tournament again,” said Ariya.

It had been 1,015 days since Jutanugarn’s last LPGA victory. She’s now the first Thai player to win the Honda LPGA Thailand event, which seems fitting given that she was the first Thai to win on the LPGA and rise to No. 1.

Jutanugarn fired a 9-under-par 63 on Sunday, finishing at 22 under. Thai players finished 1-2-3. Atthaya Thitikul closed with a 68 to finish one shot back, while ANA Inspiration winner Patty Tavatanakit finished in a tie for third at 20 under along with threetime Honda Thailand winner Amy Yang, Angel Yin and So Yeon Ryu.

– Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek European Tour: Make it two wins in three weeks for Garrick Higgo. The South African left-hander, who played at UNLV, won the 2021 Canary Islands Championship on Sunday in Spain, following up his victory at the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open on April 24.

And he did it in style – his 9-iron shot on the 166-yard, par-3 seventh found the cup, part of a final-round 64. He finished at 27 under and won by six over Australian Maverick Antcliff. Higgo has three wins in 26 events.

– Todd Kelly