KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 24, 2023

Steven Alker

Press Conference

PGA Frisco

THE MODERATOR: Defending KitchenAid Senior PGA Champion Steven Alker joins us now at the 83rd KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Welcome back to Frisco. You played the golf course not too long ago during media day and then I'm sure some this week. What are you expecting from Fields Ranch East this week?

STEVEN ALKER: I'm not sure, to be honest. It's kind of hard to get a feel for what's a good score or what could win. I think it depends on the conditions, obviously, wind and how the golf course plays.

Yeah, still just getting a feel for the golf course. It's changed a lot the last month. It's just matured, and looking green, looking great.

I don't really have an answer for that, to be honest.

Q. Obviously last year, 2022, was a great year for you, named PGA TOUR Champions Player of the Year, you've off to another strong start this year. How are you feeling about your game heading into tomorrow?

STEVEN ALKER: Yeah, feeling good. Obviously last week was good preparation coming into this week. Tough golf course, and you kind of find out where your game is at and how things are.

It's been progressing just a little bit. I didn't play well last week. I just had a bad Thursday. Been doing a little more preparation than I have earlier in the season.

Just starting to get in the swing of it and kind of starting to get to where I really want to get to.

Q. Champions Dinner last night, how did that go? What was on the menu?

STEVEN ALKER: Yeah, it was fun. First of all, it was just great to be in the room with all those guys, major champions and Hall-of-Famers and Ryder Cup captains and Presidents Cup captains. It was nice to be in their company. We had Lee Trevino there last night. He told a few stories.

Menu, we had some lamb and fish. Lamb is kind of a traditional dish in New Zealand, and a New Zealand dessert, which was they put a little spin on it, which was great.

Yeah, little stories being told, and it was a fun night.

Q. This course, obviously you've never played this course in competition. What kind of challenges does it present?

STEVEN ALKER: Yeah, I just think there's more work to be done for sure when I'm getting used to the golf course and the spots you need to hit it and the spots you don't. I think, as I said, it's kind of the unknown a little bit, what to expect, what's a good score, how exactly it's going to play.

Yeah, I like going to a new golf course personally. I like going to a new golf course and try to scope it out and a bit more work to do and see what's involved. I kind of like that. I guess we'll get a feel after one or two rounds exactly how it's playing, what the scores are going to be, and go from there.

Q. In your limited time seeing this golf course, what do you think is the most important thing it asks you to do?

STEVEN ALKER: Well, I think everything. You know, there's plenty of room off the fairways, so it's leaning more towards the approach shot, I think. But saying that, you've got to be in the right part of the fairway to get decent angles. There's a lot of fairways that pinch in pretty close that kind of 280, 290, 300, so you actually have to drive it surprisingly well in places.

And everything. It's just a solid golf course. I'm not sure what yardage it's playing at, but it's long enough. Depends on the wind what it's going to play.

But it kind of feels like more of a second-shot golf course, and then around the greens, hitting it in the right place, or if you miss it, miss it in the right place. So that's going to be key.

Q. We got to catch up Thursday when you were at Oak Hill. Between helping this tour over there and hosting like a dinner you hosted last night, are you able to sit back a little bit and soak it in, what an honor it is to do both of those?

STEVEN ALKER: Well, I think last night it kind of sunk in, just being in the company -- we talked about this, just being in the company that I was in last night. That was pretty cool. That was pretty neat. You just kind of looked down the table and you go, we've got everybody here, which is really neat.

I haven't experienced that. That was pretty cool.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Steven. Perfect. Appreciate it.