Kiwi golfer Steven Alker has earned a $2.18 million payday after claiming the overall season title on the PGA Champions Tour.
The 53-year-old finished second in the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship at the Phoenix Country Club in Phoenix today.
Alker (-17) had a chance to force a playoff with 67-year-old German winner Bernhard Langer (-18) but a birdie putt on the 72nd hole just finished short of the hole.
More importantly, the 53-year-old from Hamilton finished 10 shots clear of South African Ernie Els, who went into the event holding the lead in the season standings. With his second-placed finish and final round of 66, Alker did enough to win the season title for the second time in three years.
For the season title Charles Schwab Cup, Alker earns US$1m ($1.68m) along with US$300,000 ($502,752) for his share of second in the tournament – for a total of $2.18m for the day.