Alker shines at Senior PGA

Steven Alker’s rich vein of form on the seniors tour shows no sign of ending as the Kiwi carded a seven-under-par opening round to claim a share of the lead at the Senior PGA Championship in Michigan yesterday. Hamiltonborn Alker made six birdies and an eagle on the 10th to fire himself to the top of the leaderboard alongside American Bob Estes. A bogey on the 17th was the only blemish on an otherwise flawless round. It continues a remarkable run for the New Zealander this year on the PGA Tour Champions, which includes top three finishes in the past four tournaments and two victories. Alker wasn’t the only Kiwi making strides – Ryan Fox was five shots behind home favourite Joost Luiten after an encouraging opening round at the Dutch Open. Fox was among a large group on two-under-par at the European Tour event after a shooting a round of 70.