Alex Čejka

Alexander Čejka (born 2 December 1970) is a Czech-German professional golfer.

Čejka was born in Mariánské Lázně, Czechoslovakia. He left the country with his parents as a refugee at the age of nine, eventually settling in Munich, where he lived for many years, becoming a West German citizen. Čejka lives in Las Vegas and also has a home in Prague.

Professional career
Čejka turned professional in 1989 and played on the European Tour from 1992 to 2002. His biggest tournament win was the Turespaña Masters Open de Andalucía at Islantilla Golf Club in 1995. That year he came 6th on the European Tour's Order of Merit. Since 2003 he played mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour. In 2003 he reached as high as No. 33 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Čejka took a five-shot lead into the final round of the 2009 Players Championship after rounds of 66, 67 and 72. He shot a 42 on the front nine, however, en route to a 79 and an eight-stroke loss to Henrik Stenson.

He represented Germany in the World Cup 12 times, including in 2011 at Mission Hills Haikou in Hainan Island, teaming with partner Martin Kaymer to tie for second, two strokes behind the winning United States team of Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland. Čejka teamed with Kaymer in four World Cup appearances.

In 2012 Čejka finished 177th on the PGA Tour and moved to the Web.com Tour. He finished 64th in 2013, then 6th in 2014 to earn a return to the PGA Tour.

Čejka won his first PGA Tour event in his 287th Tour start, the 2015 Puerto Rico Open. Two players bogeyed the 18th hole ensuring a five-man playoff; Čejka won with a birdie at the first playoff hole. He is the first golfer born in the Czech Republic to win a PGA Tour event and first non-American to win the Puerto Rico Open. At the time, he was also the third oldest first-time winner on the PGA Tour since 1970. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

With most of the sports world on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Čejka played on the Arizona-based Outlaw Tour, one of the few professional golf tours in operation during the pandemic, where he won two events.

In May 2021, Čejka won his first tournament on the PGA Tour Champions at the Regions Tradition. Čejka won this major tournament in a playoff over Steve Stricker. Three weeks later, Čejka won his second PGA Tour Champions major tournament of 2021 at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Čejka shot a final-round 67 Sunday to beat Tim Petrovic by four shots.

In July 2023, Čejka won the Senior Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl in Wales on a blustery day with wet conditions. Čejka defeated Pádraig Harrington in a playoff to win the title. This was the third win of his senior PGA Tour Champions career, with all three coming at major championships.

PGA Tour wins (1)
PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

Web.com Tour wins (1)
 * Note: The 2014 Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

Outlaw Tour wins (2)

 * 2020 Arrowhead Classic, Parker Open

Other wins (2)

 * 1990 Czech Open
 * 1992 Czech Open

PGA Tour Champions wins (3)
PGA Tour Champions playoff record (2–0)

European Senior Tour wins (3)
European Senior Tour playoff record (1–0)

Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order in 2020. {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the half-way cut WD = withdrew "T" = tied NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

 * Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (twice)
 * Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

Results in The Players Championship
{{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships
1Cancelled due to 9/11 {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play "T" = Tied NT = No tournament

Results timeline
{{legend|lime|Win}} {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

DQ = disqualified "T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

 * Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Germany): 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998
 * World Cup (representing Germany): 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016
 * Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2000 (winners), 2002, 2003