Sixty feet, and the tournament was over
Steven Alker took the Ally Challenge on Sunday at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, Michigan. A closing 68, four under, got him to 201 for three rounds, 15 under, three shots clear of the field.
Win number three this season. The other two, at the Cologuard Classic in Tucson back in March and the Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary a week ago, both needed extra holes. This one did not. It is the 13th title of the New Zealander’s senior career.
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Four birdies in a row broke the thing open
He began two behind Michael Block. Birdies at the 3rd and the 7th, a bogey at the par-3 8th, then a run of four straight from the 12th through the 15th that nobody could answer.
The putt at the 15th was the one. Asked how long it was, the 55-year-old guessed high before settling on the truth. “It was probably 60 feet. I was just trying to two-putt and move on, but that one gave me some breathing room.” A bogey at the last was decoration by then.
Block signed for a 74. Only his fifth start on the circuit, and the 50-year-old said plainly that the pressure got the better of him. He tied for third at 11 under with Stewart Cink and Australia’s Greg Chalmers.
Goosen went low and nobody noticed
Retief Goosen posted 64, the round of the week. Five birdies on the front nine, three straight from the 10th, one more at the 16th. The South African climbed 19 spots to finish alone in second at 12 under.
Consecutive wins on the over-50s tour are rarer than they look. Zach Johnson pulled it off between June and July. Cink did the same in March and April. Alker is now the third name on that list this season.
The Charles Schwab Cup is where this matters. He started the week fourth and is hunting a third season-long title after 2022 and 2024. Cink still leads, and he is chasing a double of his own.
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