Steven Alker outlasts Padraig Harrington to win Cologuard Classic in Tucson

The average temperature of Tucson's PGA Tour Champions event at La Paloma Country Club was 102 degrees, which was significantly hotter than last year's tournament that was bookended with 55- and 74-degree rounds. 

The result? Steven Alker rallied to win the Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences — and the Tucson Conquistadores helmet — for the second straight season. 

Alker, who finished 15 under in his 100th start with PGA Tour Champions, is the first player in Cologuard Classic history to win the tournament in back-to-back seasons. Alker outlasted Padraig Harrington, who was leading for most of the final round, in a one-hole playoff on hole 18 at La Paloma Country Club. 

Alker overcame a nine-shot deficit after shooting even (71) for the first round on Friday. The New Zealand native rallied back from a six-shot deficit last year to beat Jason Caron in a playoff.

"It's great," Alker told reporters on the 18th green on Sunday. "It kind of feels like deja vu, to be honest, the way it played out. Happy to have a chance to win the golf tournament and ultimately it all worked out."

Alker winning his 11th tournament in his 100th start playing for PGA Tour Champions made the victory in Tucson "really special," he said. 

"I had no idea," Alker said. "It's just gone so quickly, I'm having so much fun out here. To win here again is pretty special." 

Alker said one of his two Tucson Conquistadores helmets will be given to his wife, Tanya, who manifested his comeback. Following the first round, Alker, his wife and friends had dinner together Friday night. They noticed Alker being nine shots back and encouraged him to shoot 64 (-7), 65 (-6) or 66 (-5). 

"My wife says, 'Well, you haven't had a 62 for a while,'" Alker said. 

Alker fired a 62 on Saturday and shot 40 spots up the leaderboard to be in the second-to-last group to tee off on Sunday, playing with Bernhard Langer and PGA Tour Champions rookie Zach Johnson. 

"Just kind of a coincidence really," Alker joked. "It worked out. But that's what I needed to do to kind of give myself a chance in the tournament. It worked out."

Alker finished regulation at 15 under, but he was a shot back from Harrington, who went into the final hole with a lead. Entering Sunday, Harrington was tied with Thongchai Jaidee for the lead at 11 under; Jaidee finished fifth (-12). Harrington, Jaidee and Tommy Gainey, who finished tied for third (-13), were the featured group on Sunday. 

Harrington had a bogey-less front nine, but bogeyed on 10, which was one of the most challenging holes at La Paloma Country Club. The 454-yard Par 4 had 142 pars, 58 bogeys and 24 birdies for the entire weekend.

Harrington took a one-shot lead after he birdied 13 — another hole at La Paloma Country Club that had more bogeys (54) than birdies (30) — but Alker's steady two days, along with Harrington's two bogeys on the back nine, positioned the defending champion to win in playoff fashion. Harrington carded his second bogey on Sunday after barely missing a 10-foot putt.

After tallying five bogeys in the first round, Alker went bogey-less in the final two rounds and recorded 15 birdies and 21 pars. 

"I'm just grateful to be in a playoff," Alker said. "I saw in regulation I needed that putt I thought to at least maybe get tied. I just thought, I just kind of felt I'm going to be one (shot) short. ... Grateful, shall we say, to be in a playoff. Then it was kind of like here we go again. It worked out."

Both Alker and Harrington hit their tee shots in the fairway to begin the playoff hole, but Alker's approach shot on the 415-yard Par 4 landed 4 feet from the pin. Harrington's second shot was around 12 feet from the pin. Harrington two-putted for par, and Alker's birdie putt sealed the tournament.

Alker received $330,000 of the $2.2 million purse at the Cologuard Classic. Besides the Cologuard Classic, the only other PGA Tour Champions tournament Alker won multiple times is the Insperity Invitational in Houston. 

"This is my favorite golf course in the whole world," Alker joked after the win. 

"It's been fun. I just love coming back here and supporting (Cologuard ambassador and tournament host Jerry Kelly)," Alker told reporters. "He's a great ambassador. It's just a special tournament."

Chip shots

– The Cologuard Classic, which raises awareness for colorectal cancer screening, raised $55,000 at the 15 hole, known as "Birdies for Survivors." For every birdie tallied on 15, $1,500 of the tournament proceeds gets donated to help pay for attendees who've been affected by colorectal cancer. 

– After initially planning for 400 attendees — survivors, caregivers or family members — the Cologuard Classic had over 500 people who've been impacted by colorectal cancer attend the tournament. 

– Johnson said the tournament's purpose is "ultra special." Said Johnson: "I think you have the relational side of this tour, this event. Certainly what Exact Sciences and Cologuard have done, it's impressive and it's special. It puts things in perspective awfully quick. ... There's bigger things in life." 

– Langer, the 2020 Cologuard Classic champion, finished tied for sixth (-11) after shooting 1 over on Sunday. The 2021 Cologuard Classic champion Kevin Sutherland tied for 32nd (-5). Miguel Angel Jimenez (-9), the 2022 Cologuard Classic champion, tied for 15th with 2023 Cologuard Classic winner David Toms, among others. Joe Durant, who won the first edition of the Cologuard Classic at La Paloma Country Club in 2024, was 73rd after shooting 12 over in three days.

– Bo Van Pelt, who played in his first Cologuard Classic and was the opening-round leader after Friday, was tied for 10th (-10). 

– Former Arizona Wildcat and UA Hall of Famer Ted Purdy finished tied for 43rd after shooting 2 under. 

– The Cologuard Classic is under a three-year contract with La Paloma Country Club through 2027. The first nine years of the Cologuard Classic — which was known as the Tucson Conquistadors Classic from 2015-17 — was played at Omni Tucson National. 

– The next PGA Tour Champions event is the Hoag Classic at Newport Country Club in Newport Beach, California, from Friday, March 27, through Sunday, March 29.