Tag: Steven Alker

Phil Mickelson wins Charles Schwab Cup Championship; Bernhard Langer wins season-long points title for sixth time

Phil Mickelson made his return to Arizona a memorable one while Bernhard Langer made history.

PHOENIX — Phil Mickelson made his return to tournament golf in Arizona a memorable one. Bernhard Langer added another chapter to the history books. Jim Furyk kept things interesting right till the end. It all made for an eventful finish to the PGA Tour Champions season.

Playing in his sixth Champions event, Mickelson won for the fourth time after shooting a final-round 65 at Phoenix Country Club to claim the Charles Schwab Cup Championship for the first time.

Mickelson went bogey-free Sunday with birdies on Nos. 1, 7, 11, 15 and 16 before making a clutch par putt on No. 17. Mickelson closed his round with a birdie on the par-5 finishing hole to get to 19 under, completing his rally from a three-shot deficit to win the tournament. He won by a shot over Steven Alker, who birdied the 18th to finish 18 under. It’s Alker’s 10th top-10 finish in 11 tries since he turned 50 and joined the senior tour.

Meanwhile, by virtue of his final-round 69 and solo 17th-place finish, Langer clinched the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points race for a record sixth time. Langer came into the week leading the points, fell behind to Jim Furyk after the second and third rounds but reclaimed the top spot Sunday. Langer competed in all 39 events during the Champions tour’s “super” season, which combined the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

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Furyk shot 65-67-65 in the first three rounds and was looking to cap the week with a couple of firsts. He would’ve been the first Champions tour rookie to win the Schwab Cup points title. He also was attempting to become the first golfer to win the season-long title on the senior circuit after winning the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup, which he did in 2010.

On 18, Furyk stood on the tee box needing an eagle on the par-5 closing hole to get to 18 under and finish solo second. That would’ve been enough to surpass Langer to claim the points race but after driving it in the fairway, Furyk pulled his second into the grandstands down the left side of the fairway.

With Mickelson signing autographs for fans and Langer watching the Golf Channel coverage in the clubhouse, Furyk needed to hole his third shot for eagle to win it but he blasted it well past the hole and watched it nestle in the thick rough off the green. He got up and down for par for a 71 to finish in a tie for fifth with Brandt Jobe.

Darren Clarke made a run up the leaderboard Sunday, closing his round with a birdie on 18 for a 64 to briefly take the clubhouse lead at 17 under. A year ago, after winning the TimberTech Championship, he faced visa issues which kept him from traveling to Phoenix to the Schwab Cup. Clarke finished tied for third with David Toms, who closed with a 65.

Paul Goydos had the round of the day, making a birdie on the last to shoot a 8-under 63 to finish 15 under for the week. The 63 also matches the low round of the week, also shot by Langer on Saturday.

Mickelson will deposit $440,000 into his bank account for the win. Langer claims a $1 million prize to be paid out in an annuity for winning the points.

The 2022 PGA Tour Champions season tees off with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii, Jan. 20-22. The 2022 Charles Schwab Cup Championship will once again be in Phoenix, Nov. 10-13, at Phoenix Country Club.

The combo season also marked the 20th anniversary of the Schwab Cup.

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Phil Mickelson dazzles; Jim Furyk closes in on Charles Schwab Cup Championship

Jim Furyk started the day three shots back but will take a two-shot lead into the final round.

PHOENIX — It was the marquee pairing of the day, as local favorites Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson teed it up in the second-to-last group in the second-to-last round at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Several hundred fans surrounded the first tee box at the start of their round Saturday at the Phoenix Country Club, a fitting venue for the former Wildcat (Furyk) and former Sun Devil (Mickelson) to do battle.

Furyk, 51, teed off first and went on to eagle the par-5 opening hole. He is one of four golfers still alive in the Schwab Cup race. Mickelson, 51, is not eligible but is seeking his fourth win in six starts on the PGA Tour Champions.

Their on-course battles go back to their college days and continued on the PGA Tour and now the Champions circuit.

“Phil attracts a crowd for sure,” Furyk said. “We’re in Sun Devil country so I heard a lot of ASU out there but Arizona is pretty big and Phoenix is a massive city, so a third of the folks here went to UofA. I’ve seen some support out there as well. It was fun. It’s great to be back in Arizona, it’s great to have that Arizona-Arizona State rivalry. And I’ve known Phil since we were in high school. Good to be out with someone who I played a ton of golf with throughout my career.”

Mickelson produced perhaps the shot of the day on the par-4 12th hole. After bombing his drive well left of the green, his ball settled in the rough in a spot nearly behind the 16th tee box.

Mickelson then pulled off one of his patented flop shots, landing the ball perfectly on the green, where it nestled about two feet away. He would then make the birdie putt to get to 12 under.

Furyk started the day three shots back of Kirk Triplett of Scottsdale. A birdie on nine gave Furyk the outright lead at 14 under. Triplett, who opened the week 65-64, later followed with a birdie of his own on the ninth to get to 14 under. He is seeking his first win in more than two years.

On 15, Furyk almost made an ace on the par-3 hole, although he wasn’t quite sure just how close it was.

“You can’t tell from the tee box,” Furyk said. “I had one that was really close on Thursday, same hole, that Billy Ray [Brown of Golf Channel] said took a peek.”

Furyk closed with three straight pars for a 65 and leads by one after 54 holes at 16 under.

“Scores are low but you want to be patient. You don’t want to force it in there and make stupid bogeys,” he said. “I got myself in a good position.”

Triplett is solo second at 15 under after a 69 and is looking forward to Sunday’s final round in Furyk’s group.

“I haven’t played with Jim in a long time, I am looking forward to it,” Triplett said. “That’s the nice thing about this Champions tour, you get to play with some guys you haven’t played with in a while.”

Stephen Ames shot a 65 to get to 14 under. He is tied for third with Steven Alker, who’s had a meteoric rise on the Champions circuit since turning 50 in July. From New Zealand, Alker moved to Arizona nearly two decades ago, and won last week on the Champions tour, his first win anywhere since 2014. He has posted a top-10 in nine of his last 10 events.

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Mickelson is solo fifth at 13 under after a third-round 68. He closed his round with a birdie on the par-5 18th. He has birdied the hole all three days so far.

The round of the day was recorded by Bernhard Langer, 64, who shot a 63 thanks to a bogey-free day that included four birdies and two eagles, on No. 1 and No. 18. It’s the second time in three months he shot his age or better.

Langer is doing this despite a balky back, which he says started acting up during Wednesday’s pro-am. On Thursday, he admitted he had thoughts of withdrawing, but after talking with his doctor, who said he can’t make things worse, decided to stick it out in his quest for a record sixth Schwab Cup title.

“On this occasion, my doctor assured me I couldn’t do any more damage to it, so that reassured my mind to fight through it, especially Thursday was pretty tough.”

Langer, now tied for ninth at 10 under, came into the week with the lead in the points race but will start Sunday in second.

However, if either Langer or Furyk win the tournament Sunday, they will also claim the Schwab Cup.

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Kirk Triplett makes his move at Charles Schwab Cup Championship

Lefty was back on familiar turf at Phoenix Country Club, shooting a 65 in the first round on Thursday.

PHOENIX — Kirk Triplett, who admits he’s had limited success in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, is looking to change his fortunes this week at Phoenix Country Club.

The longtime Scottsdale resident backed up his opening round 66 with a 64 on Friday to get to 13 under. He will take a two-shot lead into the weekend as he seeks his first win in more than two years.

“We’re only halfway done,” Triplett stressed after his round. “It’s probably my number one thought. There’s a lot of golf to play. A lot of birdies left to be made.”

Triplett has been playing with an edge for a while.

“I’ve had the juices flowing for the last six weeks, just trying to get to this tournament,” he said. Triplett was 32nd in the points with only the top 36 making this final field. “So I’ve been the guy on the bubble for at least a month. I’ve been playing like I’m winning every single week, like every shot matters so I think that has a lot to do with my good play these last two days.”

Triplett, 59, opened his Friday round with birdies on four of his first six holes and took a two-shot lead over Jim Furyk after making a birdie on No. 12. Another birdie on 14 pushed him three shots out in front.  He is seeking his first Champions tour win since he won twice in 2019. His last top-20 was two months ago. His last top-10 was in July. His best finish this season is a tie for second in May.

But he’s come to play this week. So far, he’s 32 of 36 in greens in regulation, tied for second.

“We know where we gotta finish, and nobody’s at that score yet.”

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His second round was an eventful one because of his playing partner, Phil Mickelson.

“My wife and I were talking this morning just trying to remember the last time I played with Phil. It was probably at least 15 years ago.

“He was great to play with, but he’s always been like that. He’s great to his fellow pros. Very talkative, very chatty, grinding away on every shot.”

The final pairing also had a large gallery following it around the course.

“I said that to him on 6 or 7. I said ‘Thank you’ and he said ‘What?’ and I said for bringing these people out,” Triplett said. “We get nice crowds here at Phoenix every year but we got more people than we usually do and he’s the reason.”

Mickelson was among the co-leaders are 6 under after 18 holes and was up past midnight tweeting about bombs.

On Friday, Lefty was indeed bombing his drives. On the two holes used this week used to measure distance, Mickelson averaged 310 yards, a healthy 38 yards farther Triplett. Mickelson is averaging 313.8 for the week.

He had three birdies on the front and closed with birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to get to 10 under, three shots back.

Steven Alker, who beat Jim Furyk by a shot a week ago to win his first Champions event, continues an amazing stretch of hot play. He shot a second-round 65 to get within two shots of the lead. He’s posted eight top-10s in his last nine starts on the circuit after turning 50 in late July.

After going 2,907 days between professional victories, Alker is within striking distance of only having to wait seven more days for his next.

Points leader Bernhard Langer dealt with a balky back for a third straight day but he managed a 1-over 72, dropping him into 31st place.

Prior to his second round, Langer struggled bending over to pick up his ball on the practice green. He then needed a provisional tee shot on the first hole after sending his first shot out of bounds. He later doubled Nos. 14 and 15 before gutting out birdies on 17 and 18.

“Had two out-of-bounds balls and a water ball. I can’t ever remember having two OBs and a water ball in one round as long as my memory goes back, so that’s disappointing,” Langer said. “Made a bunch of birdies and overall I’m still here, so that’s the main thing.”

Thanks to his sizable lead in points, he’ll be in good position for a record sixth Schwab Cup title even with a low finish this week.

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Steven Alker outduels Jim Furyk to win TimberTech Championship, earns spot next year on PGA Tour Champions

“I always know I’ve been good, but to play with these guys, it’s just a matter of feeling comfortable.”

BOCA RATON — Four months ago, few golf fans had heard of Steven Alker.

They’re going to be hearing a lot more from him.

Alker, who had zero status on the PGA Tour Champions when the New Zealander turned 50 in July, won the TimberTech Championship on Sunday by outdueling Jim Furyk down the back nine of The Old Course at Broken Sound Club.

Alker took the lead when he made a 25-foot putt at the 15th hole and added another birdie at the 18th hole to beat Furyk and Miguel Angel Jimenez by two shots. Alker shot a 4-under 68 to finish at 17-under 199 and end a seven-year winless drought.

Alker earned this victory – and a spot on next year’s PGA Tour Champions – through exceptional play. He Monday-qualified for his first event on the 50-and-older circuit in late August and rattled off six consecutive top-10 finishes to keep earning a spot in the next tournament. Sunday’s victory marked his eighth top-10 finish in nine starts.

“It’s just been building,” Alker said. “I’ve been having chances. You have a bunch of top-10s and you get in the thick of it and just try to get a ‘W.’ Not that the top-10s aren’t any good, it’s just that you get that win, and just glad I got one today.”

Alker won four times on the Korn Ferry Tour, his last victory coming in 2014, and three times on the PGA Tour of Australasia. His best finish in a major was 19th at the 2012 British Open.

He’s certainly not a household name – not even among professional golfers. But that will change.

“I didn’t know much about him, either,” Furyk said. “He doesn’t really seem to have any weaknesses. It’s bitter there, but kind of told him on the 18th green I was really happy for him.

“To kind of come from really no status out here on the Champions Tour to making the (Charles Schwab Cup Championship) in only nine or 10 events, that’s playing some good golf. He’s been knocking on the door and in the top-10 each and every week. Eventually you do that enough, you win a tournament.”

Alker thrust himself into contention during the second round of Saturday’s 36-hole marathon (caused when heavy rains postponed play Friday). He started the second round birdie-eagle-birdie and shot 29 on the Old Course’s back nine to sit just one behind co-leaders Furyk and Tim Petrovic entering Sunday.

He struggled on the front nine Sunday, playing his first six holes in one-over. But he made five birdies and no bogeys from there to earn the $305,000 first prize and improve from 46th to 22nd in the playoff standings.

Not bad for someone who had to wait until he turned 50 to get a tee time on the second-chance tour.

“I always know I’ve been good, but to play with these guys, it’s just a matter of feeling comfortable,” Alker said. “I think I’m comfortable right now playing with these guys, but giving yourself chances, I think that’s the biggest thing. Golf’s always about giving yourself chances and eventually it will happen.”

Jimenez gave himself a chance with three consecutive birdies on the back nine to get within a shot of the lead. But he made four consecutive pars before a birdie at the 18th gave the Spaniard a share of second place.

Ernie Els shot 71 and tied for fourth with Petrovic at 12-under 204. K.J. Choi (67) and Kirk Triplett (70) tied for sixth place.

Bernhard Langer finished T11 to maintain his lead in the playoff standings. Langer leads Furyk by 337,727 points entering next week’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix.

“Still got work to do.” Furyk said. “I would have loved to have won this event and then really made it probably a two-man race with Bernhard and I. Now there’s a lot more work to do. I’ll have to win in Phoenix.”

Meanwhile, Alker got his much-waited victory. With many more to come.

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Steve Flesch leads, four within three shots after the second round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic

“I’m not overthinking it at night. I’m just playing golf, having fun out here. That’s really all I’m doing.”

Steve Flesch has been approaching golf more relaxed recently, and it’s paying off this week at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at The Country Club of Virginia.

“I’m not overthinking it at night,” Flesch noted after his first round Friday. “I’m just playing golf, having fun out here. That’s really all I’m doing.”

He entered Saturday’s round just one shot back of Steven Alker, and his day started slowly making the turn with a pedestrian 1-under 35. Back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 got him right back in the mix and another circle on 15 propelled him into the lead. The American would add another birdie on the par 5 last to get to 13 under.

Coming into the week, Flesch had eight finishes of T-13 or better in his last 10 starts on the Champions tour, including a solo third a few weeks ago at the Constellation Furyk and Friends.

“I’m not hitting shots I don’t feel comfortable hitting. I’m just kind of, I hate the term ‘playing within myself,’ but I’m just hitting shots I know I can pull off and I’m not taking unnecessary chances,” Flesch mentioned after his Saturday 67.  “It’s kind of how I’m playing. And the putter’s hot, so I just want to get the ball on the green and give myself a chance to run it in.

“That’s kind of the game plan and that will be the plan tomorrow. It’s working, so I’m going to stick with it.

He’ll enter the final round with a two shot lead.

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Bernhard Langer entered the second round three shots back of the lead and closed the gap quickly playing his first six holes today 4-under. He would cool down, however, closing out the rest of his round with two birdies and a bogey for a Saturday 5 under 67.

“Not pleased with my par-par-par finish, two par 5s,” Langer said after his round. “Wish I had made one birdie at least, but just lack of length off the tee put me in a position where it wasn’t easy but still could have made one birdie somewhere and I didn’t.”

“I’m going to go as low as I can because I’m going to have to. There’s a lot of guys right there and thereabouts and that’s all we can do.”

Langer currently leads the Charles Schwab Cup points list and is well within striking distance going into Sunday’s final round tied for second, sitting two shots back.

Alker, the 18-hole leader, cooled off a bit today pairing four birdies with two bogeys for a Saturday 2-under 70.

“I didn’t quite obviously putt as well. Sixty-three, you’ve got to putt well, so it wasn’t quite there, but I didn’t give myself as many chances,” Alker said following his second round. “Wedges weren’t as close. Kind of struggled on the back nine a little bit, I missed some approaches, just didn’t have the yardage, so that kind of held me back.”

He’ll have to turn it back on tomorrow to catch Flesch as he sits two shots back with Langer.

Notable names in the field: Jim Furyk (T-8, 7 under), Ernie Els (T-36, 2 under), Phil Mickelson (T-49, 1 over), Vijay Singh (T-52, 2 over), Davis Love III (WD), and John Daly (WD).

Shot of the day

 

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