Sep 17, 2003 By Josh Krysak 6 min read

FARMINGTON – With the sun sliding into the west above the practice putting green at Mystic Rock Golf Course in Farmington, Steven Alker leans over his ball and studies a 12-foot putt with a slight left to right break. His eyes narrow as he pulls the putter back smoothly and strikes the ball with the authority eight years in professional golf has granted him. The ball turns gently across the green, skitters across the right edge of the cup and lies just beyond the lip for a two-inch tap-in. But Alker will attempt the putt again.

Although he has neither the name recognition nor the ranking of a Tiger Woods, the lesser-known Alker shares a characteristic with Woods and all the PGA Tour professionals: a realization that practice is the only way to achieve perfection.

Alker, 32, is one in a wide field of golfers preparing for today’s opening round of the 84 Lumber Classic of Pennsylvania at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa.

“It is just like anything: You have to work away and grind it out on the practice range. I feel that every year I have improved things and I am getting where I want to be and I am quite satisfied,” Alker said, as he sat in the bleachers behind the driving range and talked about the sport that dominates his everyday life.

Squinting underneath his Callaway golf cap, the wiry New Zealand native smiles as he recalled the many times he has taken an extra nine or 18 holes of practice and the countless hours he usually spends practicing before and after rounds, in addition to scheduled practice rounds. He said he basically plays golf every day of his life.

“Everything pretty much revolves around the golf,” Alker said.

While the rookie on the PGA tour admits golf is the focus, he said he did find time to get married this year and that his wife, Tanya, who accompanies him to most events, helps him through the grueling tour schedule and with the game itself.

“Tanya is great. She has caddied for me before, so she knows what is going on,” he said. “I enjoy her being on the road with me, and we haven’t got any kids at the moment, so we are making the most of it.”

Alker turned pro in 1995 and promptly won the Fiji Open and then followed with a victory in 1996 at the Tahiti Open. While his best finish on the PGA Tour is 17th at the Buick Invitational this year, internationally, he has won the South Australian Open, the Queens Land Open, the McDonald PEI Challenge and the Bayer International. In addition, he led the Canadian Tour in overall stroke average in 2000 and 2001.

He said he earned his tour card last year after winning the Louisiana Open in the Buy.com Tour. But golf started much earlier for Alker.

“I learned just caddying for my dad and I was involved in all kinds of sports, but then golf just sort of took over,” he said. Playing by the time he was 11, Alker grew up practicing on the New Zealand courses, of which he said there are about 300.

“We have heaps of courses for the size of our land mass,” he said. “It is probably the biggest sport in New Zealand.”

Alker has had some exceptional rounds in his career, including three rounds of 62 on the Canadian Tour, but he noted that the PGA has presented some new challenges.

“I have had some good rounds this year, but I just couldn’t quite keep them going, rounds where I could have shot 63 or 64,” he said. “I think the hardest thing on the PGA Tour is getting used to all the courses. I don’t think there is one course that I had played before.”

“It is a tough year. It has gone really quick with being on the road all the time and being the first year on the U.S. Tour. You don’t know where you are going and you don’t know what you are playing.”

That inexperience and the general grind of tour life have kept Alker working harder than ever to achieve success. He said the traveling is tough because he plays in about 35 events a year, and when a break from golf presents itself he takes it.

“When I have the week off, I don’t practice too much. My wife and I go home and we tend to chill out,” he said.

For Alker, home is in Scottsdale, Ariz., and when he gets away from the course, music and golf course architecture are the order of the day. And movies.

“We are big movie buffs,” he said with a smile.

Alker said typically he will arrive at a tournament on Monday and will try to get a practice round in, then follow that round Tuesday and Wednesday with more practice rounds and hours on the range. Then comes the tournament itself over the four-day weekend, during which he spends much of his free time before and after each round practicing. But when he does get back to his hotel, he said, he likes to relax by cooking.

“I like to get away from the golf a bit,” he said. “We like to cook rather than just doing the restaurant thing every night.”

He said he and his wife often look for accommodations with the cooking facilities for just that reason.

When he isn’t playing chef, Alker is climbing the PGA tour rankings. According to the PGA Tour Web site, this year, Alker is ranked 175th overall but is ranked 32nd in sand saves and 52nd in driving accuracy. He also is ranked 160th on this year’s money list, having earned $221,871, including $29,400 for his tied 25th place in last week’s John Deere Classic.

While the figures seem high compared to average incomes, Alker said the financial side of the game does play some part in the pressure he puts on himself week in and week out.

“Basically you are probably looking at $2,500 to $3,000 a week in expenses before you even tee it up. By the time you pay for your caddie, for travel, for your food, for the

accommodations, it adds up,” he said.

While many of the Tour players opt for RVs as weekly transportation to and from events, Alker said he is happy to travel by air but admits his wife is leaning toward the motor home.

“My wife has been talking about getting an RV, but I’m not that keen on it. It would have to be a big one,” he said.

Alker said that despite all the energy and time golf takes from him, he still loves the game and can’t see himself doing anything else in the future, except maybe having children, but “there is no rush.”

“I just really enjoy the challenge of being in the position to win. That is the greatest feeling. Even if it doesn’t come off, it is just being out there,” he said.

“I wouldn’t trade my experience in golf for anything. I have enjoyed every minute of it.”