Steve Alker continues to be the hottest player on the PGA Tour Champions, banking another top three on the tour at the Principal Charity Classic over the weekend.
 
The 50-year-old finished in a tie for third place, just two shots back of Jerry Kelly and Kirk Triplett, who needed a playoff to be separated. Kelly won on the first playoff hole with a birdie.
 
Alker started the final day in a share of the lead after shooting 67 and 64 in the first two rounds to be 13-under, tied with Triplett, Kelly, and Brett Quigley.
 
He got off to a relatively slow start during his final round, going out in even after making birdies at three and eight with back-to-back bogeys at six and seven. At the time, he was three shots behind Kelly, who had taken the outright lead.
 
Alker got himself back into red figures with birdies at 11 and 13. His only bogey on the back nine came at 14, but he made consecutive birdies at 16 and 17 to move to three-under for the day.
 
Unfortunately for Alker, his charge came a little too late as Kelly and Triplett were two shots ahead playing the last. Everyone made pars, meaning extra holes were needed to separate the two tied at the top.
 
Alker has racked up an impressive ten top-three finishes and four victories in a little under a year on the Seniors Tour and is yet to miss a cut.
 
He currently occupies the top spot on the Charles Schwab Cup Money List.
 
Lydia Ko has had her 14th top-five finish in a major championship at the US Women’s Open in North Carolina, finishing in fifth, eight shots behind Minjee Lee, who won her second major.
 
Ko shot rounds of 72, 69, 66, and 72 to finish at five-under-par. However, she managed to climb her way up the leaderboard into the top three early in her final round after making two birdies in her opening three holes. She made a bogey on the seventh and turned in one-under.
 
The two-time major champion made her final birdie of the day at the tough par 3 13th, before making three bogeys in her final five holes to drop to one-over.
 
The fifth-place finish is her best result in a major this year as she finished in a tie for 25th at The Chevron Championship. Her previous best finish at the US Women’s Open was a tie for third in 2016.
 
Fellow Kiwi Julianne Alvarez missed the cut in her first US Women’s Open start following rounds of 74 and 81.
 
Finally, Mako Thompson finished in equal 35th at the St Andrews Links Trophy in Scotland.
 
Thompson carded rounds of 74, 69, 75, and 71 to finish one over, 17-shots behind Australia’s Connor McKinney.
 
Over the course of the week, the Golf New Zealand National Academy member made 11 birdies and 12 bogeys around the St Andrews New and Old Course.
 
Both James Hydes and Jared Edwards missed the cut.