Alker left famous names like Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington in his wake as set a new scoring record at the latest tournament in Mississippi.
Alker's name rings a bell with older Kiwi sports fans. But compared to a lot of the other famous names on the senior tour, he is an absolute unknown. Or was.
"Where have you been Steven Alker?" exclaimed one of the commentators, as the Hamilton golfer stormed to his second Champions Tour victory and yet another top finish on Monday.
Steven Alker drops his putter in celebration after winning the Rapiscan Systems Classic. Photo / Getty
Lead analyst Lanny Wadkins, a major winner, described the way Alker tore through the field in the third round, then calmly adjusted his game to complete the job as "spectacular".
PGA observers are scratching their heads, wondering why a player with such a great all-round game didn't make more waves earlier in his career.
The sport's top pundits are struggling to recall anything similar, a battler from the second tier Korn Ferry Tour shading some of the game's legends.
Apart from Phil Mickelson's sporadic appearances, Alker - who turned 50 last July - was probably the best player on the Champions tour in late 2021.
Let's hope his form holds.
Alker told me that his dream is to win a senior major and particularly the British Open, particularly as his wife Tanya is English.
He must be a decent chance to do that.
Where have you been, Steven Alker? It's a fair question.
Winning the low-quality Oceania tournament is hardly anything to get too excited about. Job done, the national football side heads to an all-or-nothing clash against Costa Rica, hoping to make this year's World Cup finals.
Add in the likes of Doha absentees Sarpreet Singh and Ryan Thomas, and this may well be the highest quality All White side - overall - we've ever had.
And it's great to see a Kiwi in charge.
Foreign coaches are all the rage in world sport - just look at European rugby. But it's not always the best option in terms of retaining identity, national support and even squad passion.
Knowing that former New Zealand defender Hay's heart is in this job, that it's not just another nice line to put on his CV, that's he's stuck with Kiwi football through thick and thin, must mean a lot to his players and the All Whites' supporters.
WINNER - anyone…
…who can tell me for sure why outstanding although injury-prone midfielder Ryan Thomas, who plays for the powerful Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, hasn't been available for the All Whites.
There are reported reasons like wanting to spend time with his young family but these aren't convincing explanations to me.
Put it this way: there is a mysterious element to the Thomas position. Why wouldn't any player be busting a boiler to play at the World Cup?
And it is a huge disappointment seeing the All Whites take the field without their best midfielder, a position where New Zealand has struggled to produce international-class creativity in the past.
WINNER - Paul Coll…
Paul Coll celebrates with the British Open trophy. Photo / PSA
…for defending his British Open squash title and world number one ranking. It must be a sign of changing times, but Coll's ascent in world squash has come without anything like the fanfare which greeted Susan Devoy's incredible career many years ago.
WINNER - Ross Taylor
The Kiwi cricket legend who is heading for the exit door deserves a bigger mention than this.
But that's the thing about Taylor - for some reason, he's never really connected with the masses in a sport which has often been filled with big characters.
I'd still love to know a lot more from his point of view around his sacking as the Kiwi captain - maybe there's a book in the wind.
It almost felt as if Taylor operated in his own bubble after that drama a decade ago - maybe that led to a disconnection with the public.
His exploits have been left to do most of the talking and they tell a fantastic tale.
Thanks for the great memories, Ross Taylor.
Thanks for the great memories, Ross Taylor. Photosport
LOSER - Will Smith
IMO, the Hollywood actor/schmuck wrecked the film he won the Oscar for, about the father of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams.
Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars was, among many things, a mark of disrespect to the Williams family and the filmmakers.
I'm surprised more has not been made of Smith's 'life imitating art' victory speech, in which he unfairly linked his act of physical violence to Richard Williams' character.
The problem now is that it is probably hard to watch the movie without being distracted by the incident, meaning the feeling of reality such a film is trying to engender becomes elusive.
Maybe time will heal that film watching wound. Maybe King Richard will be worth a watch in a couple of years' time.
WINNERS/LOSERS - Warriors
Yes, the Warriors had another victory against another NRL battler, this time the wobbly Broncos.
It was the same old Warriors in many ways - a very good first half was followed by a very ordinary second half.
Still, the first 40 minutes did promise some hope.
It's heartening to see the Warriors with a couple of wins on the board.
But there are four tiers of NRL teams.
1. The Panthers…they look unbeatable with Nathan Cleary pulling the strings. 2. A handful of chasers, with Cronulla joining those ranks. 3. A large group of also-rans, including the Warriors. 4. The Wests Tigers.
