Theone that got away for Alker
New Zealand’s Steven Alker was wonderfully poised to win his second PGA Tour Champions title this year.
Instead, Alker blew his shot at victory in the The Galleri Classic in California yesterday by making an awful error on the final hole.
Alker led by one with two holes to play, but three-putted the 17th green to leave him level playing the last with South Africa’s Retief Goosen on 13-under.
The Kiwi watched his title rival’s approach to the par-five 18th’s green find the water instead.
But Alker opted not to lay-up with his second shot, which hit the rough at the edge of the creek in front of the green and bounced back into the water.
Both players took one-stroke penalties and drops, but Goosen’s chip was better than Alker’s, who then missed a lengthy putt for par. Goosen grabbed the opportunity by sinking his par putt to claim the title.
Alker, 52, was seeking his second title in five tour appearances this year. He won the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in January and then finished in a tie for second at the Cologuard Classic last month.
Meanwhile, fellow Kiwi Lydia Ko couldn’t get the win she needed to earn a place in the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Ko recorded a final round of two-under 70 at the Ford Championship in Arizona to be in a tie for 13th in a tournament won by Nelly Korda of the US.
Ko began the last round two shots off the lead as she sought a win which would earn the 26-year-old the 27th point necessary for automatic qualification into the LPGA Hall of Fame. She finished five shots behind Korda.