By Mathieu Wood
Sometimes things happen that transcend sport.
When Steven Alderson spoke after claiming a historic maiden G4D Tour victory on his debut at last month's Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters he did just that.
Affectionately known as Spud, due to his love of potatoes having grown up with various food allergies, the Australian fought back tears as he reflected on his challenging journey to becoming the first player with autism to win a G4D Tour event.
"Growing up as a kid and being bullied all the time at school and even bullied at other golf clubs, it just means the world to win here,” he said in his victory speech at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in Spain.
Launched in 2022 as a partnership between the DP World Tour and EDGA, the G4D Tour was created to inspire inclusion and showcase talent on an international stage.
Yes, there is competition, but it is much more than just that and if there was ever a moment that highlighted the power of sport to unite then this was one.
With his victory, Alderson became an overnight cult hero back home and his name was known around the world.
Now, after revelling in his moment in the spotlight and since returning to competitive action, the 44-year-old takes his place in a ten-strong field at the G4D Tour Series Finale in Dubai.
While he has enjoyed success in recent years, particularly in his homeland, what has transpired over recent weeks was beyond his wildest expectations.
“I'm so grateful for the platform that EDGA and the DP World Tour have provided with the G4D Tour,” he says in an interview with the DP World Tour.
“I didn't think I’d have the opportunity to play so soon. I thought I'd have to wait three or four years down the line, but I've been playing well in Australia which helps my rankings.
“But, still, I almost fell off my bed when I heard I’d got the invite to Sotogrande.”
But to seize that opportunity is another thing entirely and that is what he did at the net tournament.
"I went into the event just simply wanting to have fun, meet new people and do the best I could," he said.
"Just being in a different country provided me with an opportunity to experience a different culture."
Playing off a handicap of 1.4, Alderson carded rounds of 67 and 70 for an emphatic nine-shot victory.
Instrumental in that victory was his caddie, Trent Blucher, with the pair first meeting more than two decades ago at Blackwood Golf Club in South Australia.
A professional mentor at the time, Blucher helped instil the belief and drive in Alderson over the coming years to help him fulfil a long-held goal of playing at Qualifying School in Australia.
While it may not have been a successful visit, the pair’s friendship has long since strengthened and Blucher is thrilled to see Alderson thriving and thinking long-term about what impact he can have for people with disabilities.
"I am really proud of Spud," said Blucher. "I went to Spain as a favour for a mate, really. I really did.
"When he opened his phone after coming back from Sotogrande and he realised his winner’s interview had gone viral, with the subsequent TV interviews, he didn’t look at me and ask me if I could get him a $50,000 sponsorship from Callaway, KFC or whatever.
"He said to me, 'do you think I could be an ambassador for autism?'
"I have got a really strong sense of community and when he said that I was welded on – I am with him for the long term.
"All Spud wants to do is wake up and go and play golf. That is what he said to me when we met 20 years ago and that is what he says to me to this day."
Alderson, who is a member at Willunga Golf Club, just south of Adelaide, first started to play the game when he was five and is riding a wave of momentum.
He successfully defended his Webex All Abilities Willunga title at the back end of last month, finishing three strokes clear of fellow G4D Tour player Wayne Perske.
And Alderson can't wait to try and land more silverware at the G4D Tour season climax, held over Monday and Wednesday at Jumeirah Golf Estates' Earth Course.
"The G4D Tour Series Finale is another great opportunity," he said.
"I started studying the golf course two weeks ago through YouTube. It looks quite wide off the tee again, which might help my game.
"There are a lot of bunkers and my technique in those is pretty good so I have just got to commit to my game plan and hopefully we get the job done again."
With the tournament being staged in the same week as the DP World Tour Championship, Alderson is looking forward to rubbing shoulders with some of the game's global stars.
"I would love to meet players like Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott face to face and hopefully they’d have seen a little of what I’ve done," Alderson said.
"I like to be nice to people, so people are nice to me.
"We’re staying until the Thursday so we can be inside the ropes for the first round of the DP World Tour Championship which I think is an important part of the experience."
While McIlroy & Co will be playing for a $10 million prize fund, Alderson is playing for something else.
Having only been diagnosed with autism in 2014 at 34 years old, after doctors and psychiatrists previously deemed him to be a naughty child growing up, Alderson is happy for his story to touch a cord.
"The messages I’ve received has just made me feel over the moon," he reflected.
"I feel like I have touched so many people in the world.
"I don’t know any of these people personally but they’ve taken the time to reach out to me and congratulate me and that forges a connection."
