Steven Alker overcomes two-shot deficit to claim third win of 2026 at the Ally Challenge

Steven Alker turned a tight leaderboard into a Sunday afternoon showcase in Grand Blanc, firing a final-round 4-under 68 to capture The Ally Challenge by three strokes. The victory at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club marked Alker’s 13th career triumph on the 50-and-older PGA Tour Champions circuit, his third title of the 2026 season, and his second consecutive win following a victory at the Rogers Charity Classic. The final round was delayed two hours by heavy morning rains that threatened to wash out the finale before it even started. It was Alker’s second PGA Tour Champions victory in Michigan, following the 2022 Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor.

A Back-Nine Surge That Crushed the Block Party

Entering Sunday’s final round, Alker sat two shots back of 36-hole leader Michael Block, a fan favorite and tour rookie making just his fifth start on the senior circuit. Through the first 11 holes, Alker played steady but unspectacular golf at a venue historically known for low scoring, standing at 1 under through 11. Standing on the 12th tee, Alker said to his caddie, Let's just get this party started.

Alker immediately backed up the words with four consecutive birdies starting at the 12th hole. He made birdie at the par-4 12th, and then came the biggest hole of the tournament, the par-5 13th. There, Alker found himself with about 247 yards into the green, a “perfect number” for a 3-wood with wind blowing in his face. He found the right side of the green that’s bordered by water, and he two-putted from about 40 feet for the birdie and sole possession of the lead. To start the hole, he led Block by one, and at hole’s end, Alker led Block by three. Block found the fairway on the right side, but his tee shot was blocked out of the green by an overhanging tree. He tried to play a cut but double-crossed a 3-wood and pulled it well left of the green, leaving him short-sided. He left his third shot short of a greenside bunker, put his fourth shot in the bunker, and got up and down for bogey. Block made birdie at the par-3 14th, but bogeyed the par-4 15th. Alker, meanwhile, made birdies at Nos. 14 and 15, the latter on a 60-foot putt.

Michael Block and Retief Goosen Chase Down the Stretch

While Alker pulled away to finish at 15-under par to win by three shots, the rest of the leaderboard scrambled to keep pace. Block struggled with nerves during his first time in contention on the senior tour, finishing in a tie for third at 11-under par after shooting a closing 74, which now gets him into the next tournament.

Block was making just his fifth start on PGA Tour Champions, and his last five wins of note anywhere were at the Southern California PGA Championship. Meanwhile, World Golf Hall of Famer Retief Goosen—a two-time U.S. Open champ—mounted a fierce charge, carding an 8-under 64, the low round of the day, to finish alone in second place at 12-under par. Goosen had clawed his way into a tie for the lead on the back nine, but he missed short birdie putts at Nos. 13 and 14 to halt the momentum.

Charles Schwab Cup Implications and Notable Finishes

Alker’s victory significantly bolsters his standing in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points race, which he’s won twice before. The win lifts him to fourth place in the standings behind Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson, and Padraig Harrington, and ahead of Retief Goosen. Cink, the 2024 and 2025 Ally Challenge winner and a former British Open champion, shot a final-round 67 and finished 11 under, tied for third with Block and Greg Chalmers (69).

Finishing sixth at 10 under was former Masters winner Angel Cabrera (71), and finishing in a five-way tie for seventh at 9 under was Padraig Harrington (73), a three-time major champ who won the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills in 2008, and John Rollins (70), who made a hole-in-one on the 200-yard eighth hole Sunday. Brandt Jobe, father of Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe, finished tied for 12th at 8 under.