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The Cinderella story of the 2022 PGA Tour Champions season hasn ’ t gone away . No , New Zealand ’ s Steven
Alker hasn ’ t been quite as successful as he was last year , when he burst onto the scene as a lifetime golf journeyman turned senior rookie by winning four times on his way to claiming the Charles Schwab Cup . But he ’ ll return to Richmond in October , seeking to become the first player in the eight-year history of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic to repeat as champion .
Alker has already earned one repeat title this season . His four-stroke victory at the Insperity Invitational in Texas was his second in many tries at The Woodlands Country Club . There has been one twotime winner at CCV — Bernhard Langer ,
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who else ? Could Alker buck the trend and hoist the trophy on Sunday , Oct . 22 again ?
Some things to watch at this year ’ s event :
Someone will have to stop Steve Stricker . The past U . S . Ryder Cup captain has had a dominating year on the PGA Tour Champions . At age 56 , he ’ s already won more times in six years on the senior circuit ( 16 ) than he did during his PGA Tour career ( 12 ). In 2023 , he ’ s won five times and claimed three of the five senior majors — the Regions Tradition , the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship , and the Kaulig Companies Championship ( formerly the Senior Players Championship ).
By the start of August , Stricker was far ahead of No . 2 Langer on the Schwab Cup money list , having more than doubled Langer ' s earnings in 2023 . Stricker will almost certainly head to Richmond as
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the overwhelming favorite to win the season-long Schwab Cup race , should he play . He skipped the event in 2022 .
Alker ’ s repeat bid . Alker has already made one trip to Richmond this year , appearing at a celebration at CCV of the DECC ’ s continued charitable impact in Virginia . Since joining the PGA Tour Champions in 2022 , he ’ s been a force , having appeared in 10 major championships and finishing in the top 10 of six of them . ( This after a journeyman PGA Tour career in which he made the cut just twice in seven majors over 25 years .)
Another strong field . Expect all DECC past champions to earn a trip to the Schwab Cup ’ s first playoff event , save for LIV Golf defector Phil Mickelson , the 2020 winner . Langer ( 2 ), Alker ( 5 ), and
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