Golf: Kiwis miss out on PGA Tour

Tim Wilkinson. Photo / Getty

Kiwi golfers Tim Wilkinson and Steve Alker won't return to US PGA Tour next year after falling short at a series of qualifying tournaments.

The duo both failed to automatically keep their cards for 2018 after finishing outside the leading 125 golfers on points earned.

They were handed a second chance through the four finals tournaments on the second-tier Web.com tour but struggled for form throughout.

Both missed the cut on Saturday (NZT) at the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship at Atlantic Beach, Florida.

Alker finished two shots outside the cut on three-under after shooting 72 and 67 while Wilkinson was a stroke worse.

The pair needed to make the top 25 over the four tournaments to regain their card, and had done so before, after earning their cards from the same position last year.

However, neither looked likely at any point throughout the four events. Wilkinson opened the quartet with a tie for 47th, before missing the next three cuts, while Alker missed the final two cuts after opening with shares of 63rd and 57th.

It ends a run of four successive seasons on the world's leading tour for 39-year-old Wilkinson, who has held full tour card on seven occasions.

The left-hander missed the cut in 10 of 21 tournaments as his world ranking slipped to 413th.

Alker, 46, enjoyed similarly modest success in what was his third full season.

It leaves Kiwi No.1 Danny Lee as the only New Zealand regular on next year's Tour.

Second-ranked Ryan Fox plays the European Tour while third-ranked Michael Hendry is Japan-based.

- NZN