It’s been a memorable day for New Zealand golfers around the world.
Lydia Ko in Saudi Arabia Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Lydia Ko and Steven Alker have both won tournaments, while Danny Lee continues his good start to the new US PGA Championship season.
Ko won for the second time this year with victory at the Saudi Ladies International in Jeddah.
She finished five shots ahead of the field for her 22nd professional win.
Ko now returns to the USA to prepare for the LPGA Tour’s season ending tournament in Florida.
Alker has won on the US Champions Tour for the first time with a two shot victory at the TimberTech Championship in Florida.
Alker started the day in a tie for third and fired a final round four under par 68 to finish two shots ahead of Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez and American Jim Furyk.
It is Alker’s first win on the over-50 Tour since joining in July.
Bernhard Langer and Steven Alker Photo: PHOTOSPORT
“I guess it’s just been building, I’ve been having chances and it’s – you have a bunch of top-10s and you get in the thick of it and just try to get a W,” Alker said. “Not that the top-10s aren’t any good, it’s just that you (want to) get that win, and just glad I hung on today.”
In that time the former New Zealand PGA Champion has had eight top ten finishes and is now set to play the season-ending Charles Schwab Championship this week.
It also gives him full playing rights for next year.
Danny Lee has had a second top ten finish in a week on the US PGA Tour.
After being tied for second last week in Bermuda, Lee has finished tied for seventh at the Mayakoba Championship in Mexico.
He was eight shots behind the winner, Viktor Hovland of Norway.
Lee lost his full playing rights this year, but his good start to the new season should result in him getting more tournamernt entries in 2022.
Meanwhile, Daniel Hillier has just missed out on his European Tour card after a disappointing finish to the final European Challenge Tour event.
Hillier finished tied for 36th in Spain which meant he finished just outside the top 20 players from the season who gained full European PGA rights for 2022.
He slipped five spots to be 23rd.
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