With a record-tying performance in a senior major championship, New Zealander Steven Alker won the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores on Sunday.
Alker shot an eight under par 63 on the day, winning the title–and adding his name to the coveted Alfred S. Bourne trophy in the 82nd edition of the Senior PGA Championship. Alker won ‘going away’, notching nine birdies and only one bogey, turning on his dominant play to turn back challengers Stephen Ames of Canada and Bernhard Langer of Germany, who finished 2nd and 3rd. Alker was 16 under par for the championship. Ames was -13 and Langer -11.
Langer’s game seemed to falter on the back nine Sunday, after vaulting into the lead earlier in the day. Langer, who is 64 and has won 43 times on the PGA Tour Champions bogeyed three holes in a row, as Alker continued his consistent march to the win.
Following the trophy presentation, Alker talked about realizing the significance of his win, as he looked at the Bourne Trophy:
“First, I saw Arnold Palmer. You twist it and you see Lee Trevino and you see Jack Nicklaus and you see Tom Watson. It’s an amazing trophy. You see the names and you choke up a little bit. It’s pretty cool.”
Alker’s win capped an almost picture perfect weekend at Harbor Shores, as the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship returned for its fifth edition, after being cancelled by the pandemic in 2020. Temperatures in the 80s on Sunday, with a light cooling breeze made conditions excellent for both players and spectators
Thousands of golf fans–and many others who simply wanted to be a part of the event–returned to Harbor Shores, or visited for the first time. We observed a feeling of genuine enthusiasm among the crowds we witnessed over all four days of the championship. The PGA Tour Champions returns to Harbor Shores at least one more time, in May 2024, under KitchenAid’s title sponsorship of the Senior major championship.
Photo credit: KitchenAid Senior PGA/PGA of America
