Alex Cejka

Exempt status

• PGA TOUR: Past champion

JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR: 2003
• Korn Ferry Tour: 2013

PGA TOUR Victories (1)

2014-15 Season

• Puerto Rico Open

PGA TOUR Champions Victories (2)

2020-21 Season

• Regions Tradition
• KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship

Korn Ferry Tour Victories (1)

2014 Season

• Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship Presented by Claro

International Victories (11)

• 1990 Czech Open
• 1991 Audi Quattro Trophy [EurChall]
• 1992 Czech Open
• 1993 Audi Open [EurChall]
• 1995 Turespana Open Andalucia [Eur]
• 1995 Hohe Brucke Open [Eur]
• 1995 Volvo Masters [Eur]
• 1997 KB Golf Challenge [EurChall]
• 1998 Lancia Golf Pokal
• 2002 Galeria Kaufhof Pokal Challenge [EurChall]
• 2002 Lancome Trophy [Eur]

PLAYOFF RECORD

PGA TOUR (1-1)

• 2014-15 Defeated Jon Curran, Emiliano Grillo, Tim Petrovic, Sam Saunders, Puerto Rico Open
• 2017-18 Lost to Patrick Cantlay, Whee Kim, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS (1-0)

• 2020-21 Defeated Steve Stricker, Regions Tradition

National Teams

• 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016 World Cup
• 2016 Summer Olympics
• 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998 Dunhill Cup
• 2000, 2002, 2003 Seve Trophy

Personal

• Fled Communist Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) at age 9 as a refugee, traveling by foot and train, by swimming and biking with his father to Yugoslavia, Italy and Switzerland before settling in Frankfurt, Germany. Has fulfilled his lifelong dream of playing on the PGA TOUR from the hardships he and his family suffered under Communism to enjoy the freedom of opportunity in America.
• Was a great ice hockey and soccer player but saw Bernhard Langer play and switched to golf.

Special Interests

• Fishing, motorcycles, boating

Career Highlights

2022 Season

• Charles Schwab Cup Championship: Finished runner-up at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship at 20-under, matching his best finish of the season (T2 at the Rapiscan Systems Classic). Carded rounds of 68-68-63-65 at Phoenix Country Club.
• SAS Championship: After opening with 70, closed with 69-67 to finish T5 at the SAS Championship. Birdied six of his last seven holes on Sunday to close with a back-nine 31.
• DICK'S Sporting Goods Open: Posted 68-70-69 to finish T10 at DICK'S Sporting Goods Open.
• Shaw Charity Classic: Carded 8-under with scores of 68-68-66 en route to a T3 finish at the Shaw Charity Classic Presented by Suncor.
• Kaulig Companies Championship: Held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds before finishing T5 at the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. Carded scores of 64-70-67-73.
• Insperity Invitational: Shot a bogey-free final round and matched the round of the day (Steven Alker) by shooting 6-under 66 to finish the tournament in fourth place.
• Rapiscan Systems Classic: Finished T2 at the Rapiscan Systems Classic after rounds of 71-66-67. Marked his sixth top-3 finish in 24 starts on PGA TOUR Champions.

2021 Season

• SAS Championship: Recorded 36 bogey-free holes before carding three during the final round of the 2021 SAS Championship to finish with a share of third place and a score of 68-67-70 – 205 (-11).
• PURE Insurance Championship: Birdied four of his first five holes and posted a 4-under 68 in the final round of the 2021 PURE Insurance Championship. Cejka shot rounds of 66-71-68 – 205 (-11) and led field in greens in regulation, hitting 46 of 54 (85.2%).
• Sanford International: Started the final round of the 2021 Sanford International two strokes behind the leader after scores of 67-64, but shot 71 in the final round to finish T7.
• Boeing Classic: Carded 69-71-66 – 205 to finish T5 at the 2021 Boeing Classic. Matched the lowest round of the day on Sunday after starting the day T21 and finished T5.
• KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship: Captured the 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, becoming the first PGA TOUR Champions player to win his first two major starts since Arnold Palmer (1980-81), and the first rookie to win two majors since Jack Nicklaus in 1990. Carded rounds of 67-70-68-67 to post a four-stroke win over Tim Petrovic. It was Cejka’s second win in his first five starts on PGA TOUR Champions, along with the 2021 Regions Tradition.
• Regions Tradition: Making his third start on PGA TOUR Champions, he captured his first win by defeating Steve Stricker in a playoff at the 2021 Regions Tradition. Was first alternate before gaining entry into the field and carded rounds of 68-69-66-67. Made birdie on the first hole (No. 18) of a sudden-death playoff.
• Chubb Classic: In his second start on PGA TOUR Champions, he finished T2 at the 2021 Chubb Classic. Posted scores of 68-65-68 for a 15-under total, one stroke behind champion Steve Stricker.

2018 Season

Advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs for the seventh time, ending his season at No. 108 in the FedExCup. Season included 16 made cuts in 24 starts, with a playoff loss at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open highlighting the best of two top-10 finishes.

• THE NORTHERN TRUST: With middle rounds of 74-72, finished T56 in THE NORTHERN TRUST, failing to advance to the second FedExCup Playoffs event.
• OHL Classic at Mayakoba: Posted four rounds in the 60s at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba to finish T9 at 11-under 273. Following bogey-free scores of 67 and 68 in rounds two and three, posted a 2-under 69 in the final round.
• Shriners Hospitals for Children Open: Posted a 72-hole score of 9-under 275 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, good for a spot in the playoff with Whee Kim and eventual-champion Patrick Cantlay, who won on the second extra hole. Began the final round eight strokes back, but the Las Vegas resident (who was making his 12th start in the event) posted the low round of the week with an 8-under 63. Birdied four of his last six holes on the final day to get in to the playoff. The T2 finish marked his best showing on the PGA TOUR since he finished runner-up at the 2015 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

2017 Season

Claimed four top-25 finishes in 28 starts through the Wyndham Championship, highlighted by a T9 at the Greenbrier Classic. Failed to advance to the FedExCup Playoffs, ending his season at No. 149 in the FedExCup standings. Competed in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals where a fourth-place effort at the Albertsons Boise Open was enough to secure his PGA TOUR card for the 2017-18 season.

• Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco: Birdied the 72nd hole at the Albertsons Boise Open for fourth-place finish to secure his PGA TOUR card for the 2017-18 season.
• The Greenbrier Classic: Finished T9 at The Greenbrier Classic on the strength of a 6-under-par 64, equaling the best round of the final day. It was his best finish in a PGA TOUR event since a T5 at the 2016 RBC Canadian Open. Topped his previous-best finish during the current season had been a T14 at the Valspar Championship in March.

2016 Season

Collected nine top-25 finishes in 22 starts, of which four were top-10 showings. Represented Germany in the Olympics in August. Was poised to make a start in his fifth FedExCup Playoffs, before a neck injury sidelined him after the Travelers Championship. Ended his season ranked 83rd in the FedExCup standings.

• Olympic Men's Golf Competition: Represented Germany when golf returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1904 in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Finished T21 in 60-player field.
• RBC Canadian Open: Posted four sub-par rounds to finish T5 at RBC Canadian Open where highlight of the week was 84'6" putt for eagle on his 54th hole to shoot 69. Was longest recorded made putt of the TOUR season at the time.
• THE PLAYERS Championship: Got in the mix at THE PLAYERS Championship with a pair of 67s to sit T3 after 36 holes, but a 2-over weekend (72-74) resulted in a T9 finish.
• The RSM Classic: Opened The RSM Classic with three consecutive 67s, followed by a final-round even-par 70 to finish T6 (11 strokes behind runaway-winner Kevin Kisner).
• Shriners Hospitals for Children Open: In his first start of the 2015-16 season, finished T2 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Week was highlighted by a final three-hole stretch in the third round where he went birdie-ace-birdie to jump 21 spots up the leaderboard. Recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th at TPC Summerlin with a 6-iron from 212 yards for his second career ace on the PGA TOUR, with his first coming in the third round of the 2010 FedEx St. Jude Classic.

2015 Season

On the strength of seven top-25 finishes in 28 starts, highlighted by his first career PGA TOUR win, advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs. Concluded the season at No. 71 in the year-end FedExCup standings. Won in his first PGA TOUR playoff. The last five-man playoff on TOUR was at the 2005 BellSouth Classic won by Phil Mickelson. Earned his first career PGA TOUR victory at age 44 years, 3 months, 6 days in his 287th career TOUR start. Is the third oldest first-time winner on TOUR since 1970 behind Ed Dougherty and Ken Duke. Has converted one of four second-round PGA TOUR leads/co-leads into victories.

• Deutsche Bank Championship: Finished T39 at the following week's Deutsche Bank Championship, preventing him from advancing to the BMW Championship.
• The Barclays: Missed the cut at The Barclays.
• Puerto Rico Open: Claimed his first TOUR win by draining a 20-foot putt for a birdie-4 on the first playoff hole to defeat Sam Saunders, Emiliano Grillo, Jon Curran and Tim Petrovic at the Puerto Rico Open. Won in his fifth Puerto Rico Open start: Previous-best outing was a T54 in 2014. Is the first international winner of the Puerto Rico Open and his overtime victory was the tournament's second playoff.

2014 Season

Finished the season with 15 Korn Ferry Tour starts, a year that included a victory and a runner-up performance. Had five top-25s in all, while making 11 cuts. Officially secured his 2014-15 PGA TOUR card at the conclusion of the Regular Season in late-August (sixth on the money list), setting up his return to the PGA TOUR, where he last played in 2012.

• Nova Scotia Open: On the Korn Ferry Tour, started the final round of Nova Scotia Open tied for fifth, posted a 71 Sunday and fell to T7.
• U.S. Open: Earned medalist honors at the U.S. Open sectional qualifying outside San Francisco in early June. Shot a 67 at Lake Merced GC in the morning and a 65 at The Olympic Club's Ocean Course in the afternoon. Was three shots better than Steven Alker. Finished T60 at the Open at Pinehurst's No. 2.
• Brasil Champions Presented by HSBC: In March, was tied for sixth after opening with rounds of 65-66 at the Brasil Champions. Moved into a tie for second with a third-round 63 that included four birdies on holes 10-13. A final-round 69 left him T2, four strokes behind champion Jon Curran. The runner-up finish moved him to No. 1 on the money list.
• Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com: On the PGA TOUR, recorded a T54 in March at the Puerto Rico Open.
• Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship Presented by Claro: Earned his first Tour win at the rain-delayed Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship to open the season. Fired a course-record, 8-under 63 in the third round, which was completed Sunday morning. Birdied four of his final five holes to reach 14-under par, three shots ahead of Andrew Putnam. Had only 10 minutes to get to the first tee to begin the fourth round. Thunderstorms rolled into the Bogota area and forced a suspension of play for the fourth straight day. Play was halted at 2:08 p.m. when he was even par through nine holes and leading Putnam by one. One hour later officials were forced to cancel the final round when it became clear there wasn't sufficient time to complete the round. The standings reverted back to the 54-hole leaderboard. The win was his first in 31 career Korn Ferry Tour starts and first since his win at the 2002 Lancome Trophy on the European Tour.
• AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am: On the PGA TOUR, recorded a T56 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February.
• BMW International Open: Played on the European Tour in late June, at the BMW International Open, in Germany. Shot four rounds in the 60s at GC Gut Larchenhof (68-66-69-69) to T11 with nine others in Koln.

2013 Season

Missed the cut in both of his PGA TOUR starts.

2012 Season

Played out of a Major Medical Extension but failed to earn $323,264 in first five PGA TOUR starts to extend his exemption. Made two Korn Ferry Tour starts. Ended the year with 12 starts.

• Stadion Classic at UGA: Made the cut at the Stadion Classic at UGA and finished T57 in Athens, Ga.
• Zurich Classic of New Orleans: T18 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans was his best outing.

2011 Season

Missed a considerable portion of the season due to severe allergy issues. Finished outside of the top 125 in the FedExCup standings for the first time in his career and outside of the top 125 on the official money since the 2006 season. Also failed to record a top-10 finish for the first time since 2006.

• OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup: Playing in his 11th World Cup, representing Germany, he teamed with Martin Kaymer to T2 at Mission Hills GC in Hainan, China. The duo shot a third-round, 11-under 61 in four-ball and trailed Ireland by two strokes going into the final round. A 3-under 69 in foursomes left Germany two strokes behind the winning U.S. team.
• Bob Hope Classic: Season-best was a T13 at the Bob Hope Classic.

2010 Season

Eligible for the first PGA TOUR Playoffs event for the fourth straight season, but failed to advance out of The Barclays into the Deutsche Bank Championship for the fourth time, finishing the season No. 103 in the standings.

• Turning Stone Resort Championship: Recorded his best finish of the year with a T3 at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, equaling a career-high fourth top-10 finish of the season. Held the 36- and 54-hole leads after opening 66-68-67 but posted a final-round 72 to finish behind J.J. Henry and champion Bill Lunde.
• Reno-Tahoe Open: Earned second-consecutive T5 at the Reno-Tahoe Open.
• U.S. Open Championship: Next top-10 finish came at Pebble Beach, finishing T8 at the U.S. Open. Represented just his second top-10 performance in 18 major championship starts (T4 at the 2003 PGA Championship).
• AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am: Aided by a first-round, 5-under 65 at Monterey Peninsula CC, finished T10 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

2009 Season

Posted three top-10s.

• Frys.com Open: In October, shot four rounds in the 60's to claim a T8 at the Frys.com Open. Carded eight birdies in the final round en route to a 7-under 64, equaling his low round of the year (first round, Verizon Heritage).
• Legends Reno-Tahoe Open: Was T36 after 72 in first round of Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, but followed with three rounds in the 60s to post best finish of the season, a T5.
• THE PLAYERS Championship: A week after taking an epidural injection for a pinched nerve in his neck and arm, opened with a 6-under 66 at THE PLAYERS Championship to sit just one behind tournament leader Ben Crane. Surged into a two-stroke lead after 36 holes with a 5-under 67 and then a five-shot cushion after 54 holes, despite posting an even-par 72. Was paired with Tiger Woods in the final round. Struggled on the final day with a 79, but still managed his first top-10 finish of the season (T9) as Henrik Stenson shot a final-round 66 to win by four strokes.

2008 Season

Solid year, highlighted by four top-10 finishes. Suffered a neck injury during the Reno-Tahoe Open which resulted in surgery for a neck fusion that included the insertion of a titanium plate. Returned for the final two events of the season, where he missed the cut.

• AT&T National: Finished T9 at the AT&T National after closing rounds of 68-66.
• Stanford St. Jude Championship: Third top-10 was a T4 at the Stanford St. Jude Championship. It was his best TOUR performance since a T3 at the 2006 John Deere Classic.
• Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Thinking he had missed the third-round cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, flew home to Las Vegas. Upon hearing that the cut wasn't being instituted, caught a flight from Las Vegas back to Houston, rented a car and drove through the night to New Orleans, arriving the next morning. Playing with borrowed clubs and clothes, shot a final-round 71, his best round of the week, to finish T75. Brandt Jobe and Retief Goosen also returned upon hearing they were still playing.
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard: Finished T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his ninth start of the season.
• The Honda Classic: Recorded his first top-10 of the season with a T7 finish at The Honda Classic.

2007 Season

• Fry's Electronics Open: Overcame a double bogey on the first hole of his final round to finish T6 at the Fry's Electronics Open, his best finish of the season. Finish moved him from 125th to 110th on the money list, solidifying his 2008 TOUR card.
• Frys.com Open benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children: In adopted hometown of Las Vegas, collected T30 finish at the Frys.com Open benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children to jump to No. 125 on TOUR money list with three events remaining in season.

2006 Season

• PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament: Returned to PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament and regained card for 2007 with T22 finish, his third successful trip to the Finals.
• Reno-Tahoe Open: Added a T9 at the Reno-Tahoe Open in August.
• John Deere Classic: Collected first top-10 since 2004 with a T3 at the John Deere Classic, posting four rounds in the 60s to finish three behind John Senden.

2005 Season

Fell outside the top-125 in third full season on TOUR. Struggled most of the season, especially after injuring his back in a jet-skiing accident in June.

• MCI Heritage: In April, was disqualified for using a non-conforming ball during the third round of the MCI Heritage. Picked up his Srixon URX ball on the ninth green and noticed two dots instead of two arrows on the ball. He was initially assessed a two-stroke penalty and then disqualified at the end of the round when the ball was deemed not on the conforming balls list.
• THE PLAYERS Championship: Highlight of the season came at THE PLAYERS Championship. Making only his second start at the TPC Sawgrass, finished T12.

2004 Season

Followed rookie season with a solid sophomore campaign, making a career-best $1,313,483 and posting three top-10s.

• World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational: Two weeks later, in second career World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational start, finished T9. Shared low final-round honors with a 4-under-par 66.
• The INTERNATIONAL: Posted best finish of his career, in his 65th PGA TOUR start, a solo second at The INTERNATIONAL. Trailed by one point in the tournament's Modified Stableford scoring system heading into the final round, but was passed by Rod Pampling who made eagle on the 71st hole to collect five points. His $540,000 paycheck was largest of TOUR career.
• Booz Allen Classic: Picked up his first top-10 in June at the Booz Allen Classic, finishing T7. Recorded a career-best 8-under 63 in round two after opening with a 3-over 74. Weekend rounds of 67-69 moved him into the top-10 at TPC of Avenel.

2003 Season

Second-highest finishing rookie on the money list, 60th, behind Ben Curtis (No. 46).

• PGA Championship: Finished solo fourth at the PGA Championship for first career top-10 at a major championship.
• B.C. Open: Posted career-best, runner-up finish at the B.C. Open, helping to solidify his playing privileges for 2004.
• Phoenix Open: Picked up first top-10 finish as a member of the TOUR with a T7 at the Phoenix Open. Only other previous TOUR top-10 was a T6 at the 1996 NEC World Series of Golf.

2002 Season

Collected his fourth victory on the European Tour, where he has been a member since 1992, at the 2002 Lancome Trophy. Finished 23rd on the Order of Merit, making the cut in 12 of 18 events.

• PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament: Finished T2 at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament to earn his first TOUR card.
• Galeria Kaufhof Pokal Challenge: Picked up a victory at the Galeria Kaufhof Pokal Challenge on the European Challenge Tour, his fourth on that tour.

1999 Season

Finished 17th on the Order of Merit.

1998 Season

Led the European Tour in Greens in Regulation.

1996 Season

Made the cut in all four majors.

• The Open Championship: T11 showing at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

1995 Season

Finished sixth on the 1995 Order of Merit. Won three times that year.

• Hohe Brucke Open: Won the Hohe Brucke Open.
• Turespaña Open Adalucia: Won the Turespaña Open Adalucia.
• Volvo Masters: Victories included the prestigious Volvo Masters.

1992 Season

• Czech Open: Won Czech Open for second time in career.

Q SCHOOL GRADUATE

• PGA TOUR: 2002
• PGA TOUR: 2005
• PGA TOUR: 2006