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New Zealand’s Steven Alker, a long-time journeyman golfer, enjoyed a remarkable career renaissance on the PGA Tour Champions in 2022. The 52-year-old’s dream season included four wins and 18 top-10 finishes in 23 starts, which ultimately earned him the year-end Charles Schwab Cup.
On the course, Alker shared that experience with his caddie Sam Workman. The pair have grown close since they started working together in 2019, which is what made Alker’s announcement on Instagram last week about his 55-year-old friend both shocking and painful.
“Sam Workman has been much more than just a professional golf caddie to me the last four years. He has been a friend, a motivator, a decision maker and a fighter. We’ve had some tough times and, as of late, some really good times. He’s been like an older brother to me since we first got connected in 2019.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the devastating news that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Our hearts are broken for Sam and his family as they process this information, but in this uncertain time, we want them to know that they are not alone.”
According to The Caddie Network, Workman took up the game at age 6 and played junior college golf before becoming a teaching pro and eventually running a municipal course in Texas. He got into caddieing when Brad Elder asked him to carry his bag in a qualifier in the 1990s and went on to carry for nearly 400 tournaments, mostly on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he connected with Alker.
Workman accompanied Alker to the senior tour, where in 2021, Alker Monday qualified for his first start and finished in the top 10. That got him in the next event, and he repeated that remarkable accomplishment five more times before grabbing a late season win and a full card. That was the first time Workman had been on the bag for a victory.
Alker noted on Instagram: “Please join me and my family in sending out prayers to Sam and the Workman family in his time of need. He is surrounded with well wishes and much love from ‘Team Alker’ and could use even more, from old friends, new friends, Tour friends and family.”
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