Steven Alker finishes second in Morocco. Photo: photosport
New Zealand golfer Steven Alker has finished second at the season opening PGA Tour Champions event in Morocco.
Alker went into the final round in a share of the lead with Miguel Angel Jimenez, but it was the Spaniard who pulled ahead when it mattered most.
Paired together and tied heading to the 17th hole, Alker watched as the drive from Jimenez on the par 4 hole landed on the green about 10 feet (three metres) short of the flag. While Alker made par, Jimenez holed out for an eagle, giving him an insurmountable two-shot lead with one hole to play.
Jimenez shot a final-round 69 to win the Trophy Hassan II with an 11-under for the tournament.
Alker shot a 71 to finish two strokes back at 9-under. He was the leader or co-leader in each of the first two rounds.
His runner-up finish was the sixth since his last victory at the 2024 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
New Zealanders tied at Founders Cup
Dame Lydia Ko and Fiona Xu are tied for 49th after the third round in the latest LPGA event in Florida.
Both players are one under par for the Founders Cup tournament, 17 shots off the lead held by US's Yealimi Noh.
Dame Lydia was one under par for her third round with three bogeys and four birdies.
Xu was one over par for the round after a birdie on the first hole and on the 17th and bogeys on the second, 11th and 14th holes.
Fox drops in Phoenix
Ryan Fox has tumbled down the leaderboard at the PGA's Phoenix Open.
Fox went into the third round in 33rd place after a strong second round, but could not back that up on Sunday.
He shot an even-par round to be four-under for the tournament and in a tie for 52nd.
Belgium golfer Thomas Detry holds the lead at 18-under for the tournament.
DP World Tour Qatar Masters
New Zealand's Daniel Hillier has moved into a tie for 15th going into the final round of the Qatar Masters.
Hillier is eight shots behind the leader Haotong Li of China.
LIV season opener
Under lights in the season-opening LIV Golf Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, New Zealand's Ben Campbell finished tied for 15th and compariot Danny Lee was tied for 33rd.
Poland's Adrian Meronk had a two-shot win in his first career LIV victory and his first win of any kind since the Irish Open in 2022 on the DP World Tour.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
