New Zealand golfer Steven Alker has made a modest start to the latest PGA Tour Champions tournament.
Alker carded a two-under 69 in the opening round of the Cologuard Classic in Tuscon, Arizona on Friday (Saturday NZ Time) to be tied for 15th, five strokes behind the leader, Australian Greg Chalmers.
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The 53-year-old Kiwi managed three birdies at the fourth, 11th and 12th, and one bogey at the eighth at the La Paloma Country Club.
He was super accurate, hitting 11-of-13 fairways and 15-of-18 greens in regulation, both in the top-10 for the opening round, but the putts just did not fall, requiring 32.
Alker, the 2023 Charles Schwab Cup Championship winner, has finished tied for fifth and runner-up in his two appearances on the PGA Tour Champions in 2025.
Meanwhile, at the LIV Golf Hong Kong tournament, NZ golfers Danny Lee and Ben Campbell went in different directions during the second round.
Lee carded an even-par 71 featuring three birdies and three bogeys to drop out of the top-10 into a share of 32nd at three-under, eight shots back of the leader, Peter Uihlein.
Campbell is also tied for 32nd after a two-under 69 that included five birdies and two bogeys. Starting at the eighth hole, he got to three-under for the round with birdies at the eighth, 13th and 17th, before closing his round with back-to-back birdies, then back-to-back bogeys.