Why it’s a great time to be called Steve, Steven or Stephen on the PGA Tour Champions

By

[PHOTO: Ben Jared]

Steven Alker enjoyed a million-dollar afternoon on Sunday at Phoenix Country Club. The 52-year-old New Zealander was the last man standing at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the finale of the 2023 season on the PGA Tour Champions, when he held off Stephen Ames and Ernie Els by a shot with a final-round 70 for an 18-under 266 total.

The victory, Alker’s second of the year and seventh for his career on the senior circuit, earned him a first-place prizemoney payout of $US528,000. It also allowed Alker to jump into second place on the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points list, which was worth another $US500,000 in bonus money.

Nice work if you can get it.

Also winning $US1 million on Sunday was Steve Stricker, despite the fact he wasn’t in the field this week. Stricker had an excused absence with his father being admitted—and thankfully released—from the hospital during the week. And while his peers were sending their best wishes to the Stricker family, not having to deal with the man who won six times and finished second an additional five times in 16 senior starts made things a bit easier in the Arizona desert.

Here’s how the season-long bonus money shook out (all figures in $US):

1: Steve Stricker, $1 million

2: Steven Alker, $500,000

3: Ernie Els, $300,000

4: Padraig Harrington, $200,000

5: Bernhard Langer, $100,000

Journeys: Steve Alker

And below is the prizemoney payout for each golfer who competing this week in Phoenix (all figures in $US):

Win: Steven Alker, 266/-18, $528,000

T-2: Stephen Ames, 267/-17, $276,000

T-2: Ernie Els, 267/-17, $276,000

T-4: Richard Green, 270/-14, $165,375

T-4: Padraig Harrington, 270/-14, $165,375

T-4: Thongchai Jaidee, 270/-14, $165,375

T-4: Vijay Singh, 270/-14, $165,375

T-8: Alex Cejka, 271/-13, $87,000

T-8: K.J. Choi, 271/-13, $87,000

T-8: Jerry Kelly, 271/-13, $87,000

T-8: Bernhard Langer, 271/-13, $87,000

T-12: Retief Goosen, 272/-12, $70,500

T-12: Y.E. Yang, 272/-12, $70,500

14: Miguel Angel Jiménez, 274/-10, $66,000

T-15: Harrison Frazar, 275/-9, $61,500

T-15: David Toms, 275/-9, $61,500

17: Dicky Pride, 276/-8, $57,000

T-18: Billy Andrade, 277/-7, $51,000

T-18: Joe Durant, 277/-7, $51,000

T-20: Marco Dawson, 278/-6, $39,000

T-20: Colin Montgomerie, 278/-6, $39,000

T-22: Paul Broadhurst, 280/-4, $31,500

T-22: Paul Stankowski, 280/-4, $31,500

T-24: Steve Flesch, 281/-3, $27,750

T-24: Justin Leonard, 281/-3, $27,750

26: Charlie Wi, 282/-2, $25,500

T-27: Darren Clarke, 283/-1, $23,250

T-27: Ken Duke, 283/-1, $23,250

29: Rob Labritz, 284/E, $21,750

T-30: Mark Hensby, 285/+1, $19,875

T-30: Robert Karlsson, 285/+1, $19,875

T-30: Brett Quigley, 285/+1, $19,875

T-30: Ken Tanigawa, 285/+1, $19,875

34: Mike Weir, 286/+2, $18,000

35: Rod Pampling, 292/+8, $17,250