BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — With a big comeback and an even bigger putt, Alex Cejka ensured he won’t have to wait or play his way into events for a while.
Cejka won the Regions Tradition on Sunday in only his third PGA Tour Champions start, beating defending champion Steve Stricker with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff to earn a full exemption for the next two seasons.
A childhood refugee from communist Czechlosovokia, the 50-year-old Cejka made a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 18 and Stricker missed an 8-footer with a chance to extend the playoff at Greystone Golf & Country Club.