ASSOCIATED PRESS |
Paul Goydos , Alker ’ s playing partner in the final round of the Senior PGA Championship , asked the question on everyone ’ s mind after Alker ’ s victory :
“ What the hell has he been doing the first 50 years ?”
The answer : Playing golf just about everywhere you can imagine . Alker had success as an amateur , but he never made it through PGA Tour qualifying school . He can ’ t put his finger on how many times he tried . He earned his PGA Tour card three times while playing the Korn Ferry Tour ( or one of its four other iterations ) and lost it each time .
He missed the cut in about half the 500 or so tournaments he entered , but he also won four times on the Nike , Buy . com , Nationwide , Web . com , Korn Ferry Tour and twice each on the PGA Tour Australasia and PGA Tour Canada .
Alker persevered through the ups and downs .
“ It ’ s a new chapter for me coming from Korn Ferry and playing with those young guys , big , strong , hitting it forever . In places I was competitive out there , but I ’ m kind of maybe a little more competitive out here ,” Alker said after his opening round in the Dominion Energy Charity Classic . “ My game ’ s just coming around at the right time . You ‘ ve still got to play golf and shoot the scores . These guys , they ’ re good so
|
you ’ ve got to shoot some good scores . It ’ s just a combination of game coming together and just really wanting to play out here .”
By the time the PGA Tour Champions get to Richmond ( Oct . 21-23 ), Alker will have been paired with most of the legends and will have played courses that were once new to him .
“ These guys are world-class players and have won majors and won a lot of tournaments . To be amongst that company and
Bernhard Langer is a two-time DECC champion , including a victory in last year ’ s event .
|
to actually play with these guys is fantastic . It ’ s all very new and exciting . It ’ s gone very quickly ,” he says .
“ Another thing I ’ ve found playing with these top players and the names I haven ’ t played with is trying to focus on my game when I ’ m out there . It ’ s been a tough thing to do . Not try and watch them play . Try and focus on me … all those things I need to do to keep playing well ; keep doing what I ’ m doing and just keep enjoying it , having fun .”
|