Ko and Alker notch wins in triumphant day for NZ golf

Lydia Ko and Steven Alker have bagged tournament titles in a memorable 24 hours for New Zealand golf.

Lydia Ko during the final round of the Palos Verdes Championship Presented by Bank of America at Palos Verdes Golf Club on May 01, 2022 in California.
Photo: AFP

World No.5 Ko mixed eight birdies and a bogey to shoot a final-round 65 on Sunday and win the LPGA Tour’s BMW Ladies Championship in Wonju, South Korea.

Less than a day later, Alker lodged another victory on the US seniors Champions Tour, with his triumph at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Virginia.

Ryan Fox couldn’t complete a trifecta, the 25th-ranked New Zealander spurning a share of the overnight lead at the Mallorca Classic in Spain to finish in a share of fourth – two shots behind German winner Yannik Paul.

Ko held her nerve after entering the day a stroke behind Thai teenager Atthaya Thitikul, but wound up at 21-under par 267 for the tournament. That was four strokes better American Andrea Lee, who carded a 69.

Five birdies on the back nine, including three straight at Nos. 15-17, sealed the victory for Ko. It was her 18th career tour win and second of 2022.

“I played the back nine really well in all four of my rounds, and I think that was the big key for me and just knowing that there are holes out there that we can be aggressive even though there are some tougher ones,” she said.

“I think I was just able to strategically just keep calm and be patient.”

Ko’s 65 was the course low for the day.

Finishing in a tie for third at 16-under were South Koreans Hye-Jin Choi, who shot a 68, and Hyo Joo Kim (68) along with American Lilia Vu (69).

Thitikul birdied the second hole but couldn’t maintain the momentum, stacking up five bogeys on her way to a 74 and a sixth-place finish.

Consistency was the key for Ko, who strung together two opening rounds of 68, followed by a 66 on Saturday.

“Obviously, this weekend I played really solid,” Ko said. “I gave myself a lot of good looks. I had a couple of lucky breaks as well. But, yeah, it was just one of those weeks where I think I played solid all four rounds.

“I think to be able to win these days, you’ve got to play well all four of these rounds because you’re playing against the world’s best players. One mediocre round, that puts you, I think, a few shots behind.”

Ko now has finished in the top five in nine of her past 12 starts. Born in Seoul, South Korea’s capital, she clearly was delighted to win in her native country.

“I feel so proud to be born in Korea,” she said. “Because of that I really wanted to win here. It’s not only just a place that I’m born, but a lot of my family is still here. This week my relatives are here, my direct family is here and I wanted to win it for them as well. To be able to do that this year in front of a lot of them, it means a lot.”

Steven Alker.
Photo: Photosport

ALKER IN RARE FORM

Alker broke away from the pack with three consecutive birdies in Richmond on Monday to notch a win that extends his lead in the lucrative Charles Schwab Cup playoffs with just two events remaining.

Alker was part of a five-way tie for first at 11 under at one point during the final round. Then he birdied the par-4 15th, par-5 16th and par-3 17th holes at The Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course. He shot a 4-under 68 to finish the first leg of the playoffs at 14-under 202.

K.J. Choi of South Korea (67) birdied his final hole to get to 13 under and sole possession of second.

Alker entered the week with a healthy 344,360-point lead in the Schwab Cup standings. Per the Golf Channel broadcast, he’ll be 749,960 points ahead of second-place Padraig Harrington of Ireland after Sunday’s results are tabulated.

Alker, 51, joined the tour full-time last season and won four tournaments between November 2021 and May 2022 before claiming his fifth title Sunday.

Harrington (69), Doug Barron (69) and Jerry Kelly (72) finished in a tie for third at 12 under. Kelly led the tournament after each of the first two rounds. Ernie Els of South Africa (67) and Brian Gay (69) tied for sixth at 11 under.

There are two tournaments remaining in the Schwab Cup playoffs. The top 54 players in the standings after Sunday will qualify for the second leg, the TimberTech Championship, in two weeks. Scott McCarron, who tied for 46th this week at 1 under for the tournament, was projected to keep the 54th and final spot.

– RNZ/Reuters