Andy DevaneyThe NI Legends at Galgorm spent much of Sunday threatening to become somebody else’s tournament.
Steven Alker had led after each of the opening two rounds, then bogeyed the first and watched playing partner David Drysdale hole a curling 20-footer for birdie.
By the time the leaderboard began filling with familiar names, the New Zealander’s comfortable position had become rather less comfortable.
Alker’s lead disappears almost immediately
Drysdale’s early move was only the first disturbance. Anthony Wall opened with three straight birdies to reach 10 under, while Greg Owen, Thomas Gögele and Mikael Lundberg also moved into contention.
For Alker, the front nine offered little momentum. That mattered because scoring elsewhere was brisk. Lundberg would eventually sign for a 64, as would Hennie Otto, and there was suddenly very little room for a leader to spend the afternoon merely making pars and admiring the scenery.
Alker’s response was measured rather than theatrical. Three birdies around the turn restored his advantage and, crucially, changed the tone of his round. The day had begun with him being chased. By the back nine, he was again making everyone else chase him.
Hennie Otto turns the final round into a proper contest
Otto provided the most serious examination. The South African followed Saturday’s 65 with an eight-under-par 64, reaching 13 under and briefly drawing level midway through the back nine.
It was a formidable two-day charge from the three-time DP World Tour winner, particularly on greens he plainly enjoyed.
“That was really good,” said Otto. “I played really, really well yesterday. I left a few out there yesterday, and the wind didn’t pick up as much today. The greens are unbelievable and if you hit it close you can make the putts. And that’s just what I tried to do.
“I’ve been playing well, although my scoring didn’t show it at the other tournaments I played this year. Patience is not my thing, everyone knows that. But I just tried to be positive on the greens and it certainly did over the last two days.”
A missed birdie putt at the 18th left Otto in the clubhouse on 13 under. It was a fine target. It was also one Alker now knew he could beat without requiring anything ridiculous.
The 16th gives Alker breathing room
The decisive moment came at the 16th. Alker found the position he wanted with a 3-wood, then wedged to four or five feet and converted the birdie.
That pushed the margin back out and removed the need for a last-hole flourish. Golfers tend to insist they enjoy pressure, although most of them seem perfectly happy when it can be avoided.
Alker closed with a 67 for 15 under, two clear of Otto. Wall and Phillip Archer shared third at 12 under, with Gögele and Lundberg a shot further back on 11 under.
Joint overnight leader Drysdale went in the opposite direction. His opening birdie briefly gave him the outright lead, but a 73 left him tied at nine under alongside fellow Scot Alastair Forsyth.
Three wins in a row put Alker in rare form
The significance of Alker’s victory extends beyond one trophy in County Antrim. He arrived at Galgorm after back-to-back victories on the PGA Tour Champions and had also won his previous start on the Staysure Legends Tour.
Three consecutive senior wins is the sort of run that turns good form into something harder to dismiss.
“It’s pretty special, three in a row doesn’t happen very often so you’ve got to make the most of it,” Alker said after the two-shot win.
The manner of this one was telling. He did not run away with it. His lead vanished early, multiple challengers appeared, Otto posted a 64 and the tournament tightened deep into Sunday. Alker still found the birdies required, and did so without turning the final few holes into a rescue mission.
Lundberg leaves Galgorm with a different prize
There was movement behind the winner, too. Lundberg’s closing 64 and tied-fifth finish lifted him to the top of the 2026 Order of Merit. He and Stephen Gallacher both moved ahead of Jamie Donaldson, who did not play at Galgorm.
The Staysure Legends Tour now heads to Spain later this month for the European Legends Cup, with Lundberg leading the season-long race and Alker carrying the more immediate distinction of three consecutive victories.
At Galgorm, even a Sunday wobble could not interrupt the sequence. Three wins in a row — and one rather useful birdie at 16 to keep the pulse respectable.
