Steven Alker rallies to win Cologuard Classic in playoff fashion

Entering the final round of the Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences, an Aussie was the leader. But it was a Kiwi who finished as the winner on Sunday.

Steven Alker overcame a four-shot deficit to win the Cologuard Classic at La Paloma Country Club. Alker fired a 5 under 66 on Sunday, which included a bogey-less final nine holes on Sunday.

Alker eagled No. 11 and recorded three straight birdies from No. 15-17, before he parred the 18th hole. Alker’s come-from-behind performance on Sunday forced the Cologuard Classic’s first-ever playoff with Jason Caron, but Alker’s birdie lifted the Hamilton, New Zealand, native to his ninth PGA Tour Champions victory — and the Conquistador helmet.

Just before the ball hit the bottom of the cup on No. 18, Alker was confident his 10-foot putt would drop and fist-pumped in celebration.

Alker, who won the Cologuard Classic on his wife Tanya’s birthday, said the win in Tucson “is a special one.”

“I just enjoy coming here,” Alker said. “I came from New Zealand last week and you saw me on Tuesday like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ It took me a couple days to get in the swing of things, but I feel good now. It’s extra special.”

Greg Chalmers, the Australia native, led after Friday and Saturday and was on pace for his first PGA Tour Champions victory, but a disastrous finish knocked him off the top spot of the leaderboard, and the Aussie finished tied for third with Rod Pampling after shooting even on Sunday; both were 11 under.

In similar fashion to last season’s Cologuard Classic, when Stewart Cink — who trailed Chalmers by a stroke entering Sunday — frittered away a four-shot lead in the final round, Chalmers’ chances of winning the tournament slipped on the back nine.

Chalmers climbed to 13 under, before an approach shot on No. 11 sailed out of bounds. His follow-up shot landed in the green-side bunker, albeit Chalmers parred the hole. Chalmers bogeyed No. 12 and No. 14, then parred the last four holes. He missed a birdie putt on No. 18 and was removed from the playoff with Alker and Caron.

Jerry Kelly, a Cologuard ambassador who withdrew from the tournament with a shoulder injury, consoled Chalmers near the 18th green and told him, “This just sets up the next win. That’s all this does.”

“I led the golf tournament for 45 holes, maybe even a little longer,” Chalmers said. “I didn’t play as well as I would have liked today. Obviously the two par 3s with two bogeys on the back nine really hurt me, not getting either of the par 5s on the back nine really hurt me.

“But that’s just part of golf sometimes. It’s been a minute since I’ve been in that situation where I’ve had a chance to win an event. I think the more I can do it, the more comfortable I’ll be and the better I’ll do. Overall I’m really pleased with a really nice week. It’s been fun to deal with it all and be part of it and I really enjoyed it. ... If I keep playing like this, good things are going to happen.”

Alker said Chalmers “has all the tools” to win on the PGA Tour Champions level.

“He’s a good player, he’s going to win,” Alker said of Chalmers. “There’s so many guys out here that are going to win, they’ve got the game. It’s just being patient and hanging around.”

Alker didn’t record a bogey on the back nine during the entire Cologuard Classic. In three rounds, Alker had a combined 17 pars, eight birdies and two eagles on the back nine; he had four bogeys on the front nine. The leading group of Chalmers, Cink and Alex Cejka combined for 10 bogeys and a triple-bogey on the back nine for all three rounds.

“Slow start every day and just grind my butt off on the back nine and go as hard as I can because the front nine didn’t treat me well at all,” Alker said. “I did it all on the back and I’ve got the back to thank for that, for sure.”

Once Alker found his groove on the back nine on Sunday, he did something he doesn’t normally do: he took a peek at the leaderboard “to keep an eye on it and thought, ‘OK, one more, let’s go one more, one more.’”

He added: “That was just my goal was just to keep getting one more and try and chase the guys down.”

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Survivor Walk part of ‘really powerful week’

The Cologuard Classic “has gotten to be the go-to destination” for colorectal cancer survivors, said Exact Sciences director of advocacy and alliances Bryan Goettel.

Exact Sciences provided grants for 17 colon cancer organizations to identity survivors and financially assist them to attend the Cologuard Classic, according to Goettel. The Cologuard Classic had over 350 survivors from 36 states and two countries in attendance this year.

Due to “Call-on Congress,” a national colorectal cancer awareness event in Washington D.C. that started on Sunday, the survivor total at the Cologuard Classic was trimmed for the final round.

The nearly 200 survivors participated in the “Survivor Walk,” which started in 2018, when the Cologuard Classic was held at Omni Tucson National. The tradition started with survivors walking up the 18th fairway with the final group, but “a ravine in the middle of the fairway presented some challenges” when the tournament moved to La Paloma Country Club.

Last year, survivors gathered around the 18th green for the closing ceremony, but “some of the feedback we got is they missed that moment of being able to walk together,” Goettel said. The solution: do the Survivor Walk with the final group up the 15th fairway.

“It’s a very symbolic moment for people who are either going through the fight, have been in the fight or lost loved ones to colon cancer,” Goettel said.

The 15th hole at La Paloma Country Club is the “Birdies For Survivors” hole. For every birdie tallied on No. 15 over the weekend, the tournament donated $1,500 — $3,000 on Sunday — for survivors to attend next year’s tournament. The Cologuard Classic capped the donations at $50,000.

“I think even for our team and seeing what it means for everybody, it motivates all of us to be working this event as well,” Goettel said. “And I think for us, to see that walk is a culmination of a really powerful week.”

Chip shots

— Alker received $330,000 for winning the Cologuard Classic, which had a $2.2 million purse. The Cologuard Classic is Alkers’ ninth career victory on PGA Tour Champions.

— Hiroyuki Fujita had the only hole-in-one at the Cologuard Classic this year. Fujita aced the 17th hole par 3 (178 yards) with a 7-iron on Sunday. Since the Cologuard Classic started in 2015, the tournament has 12 aces — two at La Paloma Country Club. Mario Tiziani aced No. 17 last year.

— Former Arizona Wildcat Ted Purdy finished the Cologuard Classic tied for 38th at even. Sabino High School alumnus Willie Wood was tied for 52nd at 3 over.

— This year marked the second Cologuard Classic at La Paloma Country Club. Tucson’s annual PGA Tour Champions event is contracted with La Paloma Country Club through 2027.

— The next PGA Tour Champions Tour event is the Hoag Classic at Newport Beach Country Club from March 21-23.

Photos: Final day of the Cologuard Classic 2025

Photos: 2025 Cologuard Classic, round 2

Photos: A chilly opening round of Cologuard Classic