Golf: Steven Alker falls short in major playoff; Dame Lydia Ko, Ryan Fox seal top-20 finishes

Steven Alker finished second at the Kaulig Companies Championship. Photo / AFP

Steven Alker has fallen just short of claiming his 10th win on the PGA Tour Champions, losing out on the Kaulig Companies Championship in a playoff.

A clutch performance late in the round saw Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez pip the Kiwi of a second major championship, with two playoff holes needed to separate the two.

Jimenez made a birdie on the par-four 18th to force a playoff, after moving within a shot of Alker with a birdie on the 17th.

Both players made pars in the first playoff hole, with Jimenez making a lengthy putt for birdie on the second to win it.

Alker had taken the outright lead at the sixth hole with his third birdie of the day, before a bogey on the 10 saw the pair share the lead heading down the stretch.

However, Jimenez carding bogeys on the 12th and 13th saw Alker take a two-shot lead with five holes to play followed that up with a second straight bogey and suddenly Alker held a two-shot lead with five to play.

The Kiwi held that lead heading into the final two holes, but Jimenez was able to take his opportunities for birdie on both holes to force the playoff.

While it will be a disappointing way to finish the tournament for Alker, it is expected to see him move to second on the money list for the season with a payout of US$308,000 ($514,976) for a runner-up finish.

Dame Lydia Ko finishes Women’s PGA Championship strong

Dame Lydia Ko’s quest to complete the career grand slam will need to wait another year, but she was able to claim a top-15 finish at the Women’s PGA Championship in Frisco, Texas.

The PGA Championship is one of the two majors the Kiwi has yet to claim and it was well out of reach when she began the final round 12 shots off leader Minjee Lee.

Ko however produced her best round of the week, carding a one-under 71 to move into the top 20.

Finishing the week at five-over, Ko finished in a tie for 12th.

Nine shots further ahead, 29-year-old Lee won her third major to go with the Evian Championship (2021) and US Open (2022).

The two remaining majors on the LPGA schedule are the Evian Championship at Evian-les-Bains, France, starting July 10, and the Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Wales which Ko returns on July 31 as the defending champion.

Another top 20 for Ryan Fox

Ryan Fox has raced up the leaderboard for another top-20 finish on the PGA Tour, ending in a tie for 17th at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.

Fox carded a final round four-under-par 66 to finish at six-under for the week, adding another strong finish to an impressive stretch of golf.

It is the sixth straight event Fox has finished inside the top 30, which includes his two victories at the Myrtle Beach Classic and the Canadian Open.

American Keegan Bradley won the event at 15-under, making a birdie on 18 to pip Englishman Tommy Fleetwood at the death.

Finishing in an eight-way tie for 17th, Fox earns around US$271,312 ($453,635). With Bradley expected to make a big jump in the FedEx Cup rankings with the win, and Australian Jason Day getting a nice bump up after finishing in a tie for fourth, Fox is projected to drop a couple of spots but will remain inside the top 30.

Having played in nine of the last 10 weeks, he’ll now take a well-earned break and is not expected to be back in tournament mode again until the Scottish Open starting July 10.