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STEVEN Alker joined the PGA Tour Champions two and half years in the past following a modest PGA Tour profession. And he’s been on a roll ever since. The 52-year-old Kiwi now has eight PGA Tour Champions titles (as of press time), carried out strongly within the inaugural World Champions Cup in December towards main stars like Bernhard Langer and Steve Stricker, then gained the 2024 season opening Mitsubishi Electrical Championship at Hualalai. Alker sat down with IG shortly earlier than his Mitsubishi win in Hawaii.
You gained twice in 2023, what are your objectives for this season?
Yeah, I feel it’s only a matter of staying hungry and making an attempt to chase these victories. Generally you simply don’t know after they’re going to return. You’re feeling like your recreation’s coming round and also you’re in a very good place like I used to be just a few instances in 2023 and also you don’t get wins. I bought plenty of second place finishes final season. I feel you’ve simply bought to remain affected person, you’ve bought to maintain footslogging away, and simply maintain specializing in placing your self ready to win, and in the event you try this sufficient instances I really feel just like the wins are going to return.
I’ve simply bought to maintain engaged on the issues which might be going properly for me, on and off the golf course so far as golf and health and I feel the small enhancements and small features right here and there-that’s what I like. The small issues makes an enormous distinction in the long run. Sure instances of the 12 months, like at main championships, these small issues will come into play and work themselves out.
How do you enhance in these small areas?
Once I return to 2022, taking a look at my stats…all the things is prime 5. That was a very good 12 months and I take a look at it as a benchmark (4 wins). Hopefully I can get above that benchmark. In 2023, my wedge recreation wasn’t fairly as good-but my size had turn out to be useful. With size, it’s all about sustaining. A mile an hour right here and there. The hot button is that proper now I do know I’m lengthy sufficient to compete out right here. As I become older if I can preserve that distance, that’s what’s necessary.
Talking of sustaining, Bernhard Langer has executed an awesome job of it. What have you ever realized from him?
At any time when we’re taking part in collectively it’s arduous to not watch Bernhard play. Generally I’ll catch myself watching him too carefully after which I’m going ‘come on’, we’ve bought to give attention to our personal recreation now.’ If he’s not taking part in properly, he places the time in. Even when he’s taking part in properly, he’s nonetheless engaged on his placing and brief recreation on a regular basis. And he’s at all times engaged on his health.
He was there on the finish to congratulate me once I gained the Schwab Cup in 2022. Ernie was there as properly. These guys are Corridor of Famers. It’s not till after you might have an awesome 12 months that you simply sit down and realise how good it was, and have these guys congratulate you that you simply realise it was further particular.
You had been the main point-earner for Group Worldwide on the inaugural World Champions Cup in December. What was that have like for you?
Everybody on the group made my spouse and I really feel welcome and inspired us. It’s nerve wracking in these group occasions. To have that first tee reminiscences with the fellows and main the group out, that’s what was further particular for me. Ernie advised me on Saturday evening “I’m sending you out first in Sunday singles, let’s put some factors up on the board early.” I believed, okay, I higher get it executed.
You then took down the PGA Tour Champions participant of the 12 months Steve Stricker
It did really feel good. You wish to win your classes. To beat Stricker was nice. To have a group occasion be so shut and to have it come all the way down to the final gap was superb. To place factors on the board first and let the fellows behind me see that, was a heck of plenty of enjoyable.
You had been a journeyman for many years, now you’re successful at a excessive charge towards main champions, what do you chalk up your success to?
You’ll be able to’t zero it down to 1 factor. A serious contributing issue was I’ve saved my recreation in form and I saved taking part in, and my physique was in good condition. And I feel the most important factor was being impressed and eager to play on the PGA Tour Champions and having a second probability. It’s an opportunity to do it correctly, try to make one thing of this profession. So long as I grinded on the Korn Ferry and solely performed three years on the PGA Tour, and performed the European tour-all of that grinding that bought me to this place, I simply thought ‘properly come on, that is one other probability.’ I actually, actually needed to return out and do properly and compete with these Champions Tour guys.
Alker has taken his recreation to a brand new stage since becoming a member of the over-50’s tour.
Has there been a second of validation out right here for you amongst the superstars like Fred {Couples}?
I feel in the end it was that first win. Once I first got here out I Monday-qualified. I saved prime ‘ten-ing’, and simply saved taking part in my method in. That first win at TimberTech proved to me that perhaps I belong out right here. It sounds cocky and I don’t wish to sound that method. Then I bought 2nd to Mickelson within the Schwab Cup Championship and that simply sort of fueled 2022 (4 wins). You by no means know what you’re going to return out with in that first full 12 months. I began in Hawaii on a course I hadn’t seen. To come back out and lose in a playoff to Miguel Angel Jimenez advised me I felt validated and that I bought a consolation issue, hopefully earned respect after which it snowballed that 12 months.
A 12 months in the past, you misplaced your caddie Sam Workman to most cancers, what did he imply?
We constructed this relationship going from the underside of the underside. From struggling on the Korn Ferry, lacking cuts to getting on the Champions Tour and successful majors.Then successful the Schwab Cup. We went from lows to highs. It was particular instances for each of us. His passing was so sudden. We bought to know his household and nonetheless keep in contact. That was a tricky couple of months. He was an awesome man.
Your son Ben caddied final 12 months for one week on the Insperity Invitational and also you gained. How did that really feel?
I don’t even know the way that got here collectively (laughs). I feel my spouse Tanya put us collectively that week. I at all times thought it might be good for my son to caddie for me in an occasion and I feel he had an off week from college. I simply thought, ‘properly why not? Let’s give it a shot.’ Ben had no golf expertise in any respect, however he had an awesome perspective. I simply taught him the straightforward stuff like simply getting a yardage guide and he saved up. I selected the golf equipment and it was only a nice expertise. It was a tremendous father/son time. We had so many pals on the market and successful that championship having my son on the bag, you possibly can’t actually ask rather more than that, it was further particular.
Alker opens 2024 with a win in Hawaii
Following his interview with Inside Golf’s Garrett Johnston, Steven Alker continued on his successful methods with a victory on the PGA Tour’s season opening occasion in Hawaii.
Alker totaled a tournament-record equaling 25-under par, a rating which included a final day 63 a spherical wherein the Kiwi hit all 18 greens in regulation.
It was his eighth PGA Tour Champions victory.
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