Good luck Steve

Steve Alker is about to embark on the most important four days of his golfing career. For sure, he's been on the PGA Tour before. But at 43, Father Time is not in Alker's side.

He tees off tomorrow in the Cox Classic at Omaha in the last counting tournament of the Web.com Tour season. After four rounds of play this week, the top 25 players on the Web.com Tour will get cards to the PGA Tour for 2014, where they will play for purses ten times larger than they do now. That's why the PGA Tour is known as the Big Tour.

The Herald explains Alker's situation:

Just one good weekend of golf separates Steve Alker from completing a trio of Kiwis on next year's PGA Tour.
Alker has everything to play for at this week's Cox Classic in Omaha, which marks the end of the regular season on the second-tier Web.com Tour.
The 43-year-old is currently 22nd on the order of merit, just inside the top 25 players who, at the end of the tournament on Monday morning (NZT), will earn cards to play on the PGA Tour in 2014.
Alker, who finished in a share of 50th place in Tennessee last week to remain inside the cut-off on the money-list, will tee off tomorrow alongside Australian Matthew Goggin and Argentine Miguel Angel Carballo.
Compatriot Tim Wilkinson - who like Danny Lee has already booked his place on next year's PGA Tour - believed Alker would make it three Kiwis on the top tour if he continued his recent form.
"Steve just needs another solid week and he'll be fine,'' Wilkinson said. ``He is right on the bubble and it can be a pretty volatile week with a few nerves.

"It is a bigger purse so people can jump a few places. But a solid week and he'll be there. He doesn't need to do anything amazing he just needs to consolidate his position.''
Alker won the Utah Championship earlier this year to turn around his season and, since then, has played well enough to remain inside the top 25. He has made US$139,313 from 12 events and the Web.com Tour has projected a benchmark of US$142,000, an amount which has traditionally been safe.

Steven Alker has hung tough over the last few weeks, clinging to his place on the money list. The important number for him is $7015; the dollar advantage he holds over 26th place Wes Roach. 

But the list can change very quickly. If Alker misses the cut after two rounds, he won't earn anything this week, and he will be totally dependent on the results of others. However if he makes the cut, and finishes in the top half of the field after four rounds he will probably have done enough.

But just ask Peter Malnati how quickly things can change. When he went out onto the golf course last  Sunday at Knoxville, Tennessee he was at #80 0n the money list. Five hours later he won the tournament, and rocketed up to #16 on the list. Malnati will be playing on the Big Tour next year.

We'll be following Steve Alker's progress over the next four days. To have three Kiwis on the Big Tour would be a real fillip for New Zealand golf. We wish him ever success for what could be a career-defining week; all the best Stevie!