Chris Kirk holds off late challengers to win PGA Tour’s first event of 2024 at The Sentry in Hawaii
After missing out on the Tour Championship in August, Chris Kirk rested during the off-season by working on his golf game – as a left-hander rather than as a righty, shooting a low score of 82.
“It’s really hard left-handed,” he said. “Really hard.”
Kirk, who won the Ben Hogan Award as the college player of the year, has been making the game look easy for years. His graceful, fluid swing as a right-hander long has produced his trademark natural draw and it delivered in crunch time on Sunday in the final round of the PGA Tour’s season-opening tournament, The Sentry, in Kapalua, Hawaii.
After missing out on the Tour Championship in August Chris Kirk rested during the off season by working on his golf game as a left hander rather than as a righty shooting a low score of 82 it’s really hard left-handed he said really hard Kirk who won the Ben Hogan
Award as the college player of the year has been making the game look easy for years his graceful fluid swing as a right-hander long has produced his trademark natural draw and it delivered in crunch time on Sunday in the final round of the PGA Tour season opening tournament the Sentry in Kapalua Hawaii
The 38-year-old veteran Pro was tied for the lead at the 17th hole at Kapalua Resorts Plantation course and facing 209 yards to the green at the toughest hole on the back nine With the Wind which had been non-existent all week picking up he switched from a seven iron to a five
Five iron and struck a beauty that bounced On The Fringe and rolled to inside 3 ft to set up the winning birdie nursing a one-stroke lead after 54 holes Kirk capped off a bogey free nine under 64 on Sunday to win his sixth PGA Tour
Title with a 72 whole total of 29 under to 63 and and one stroke better than Seth thala Kirk returned to calua this week for the first time since 2016 booking his trip last February at the Honda Classic where he won for the first time in nearly eight years in November
Kirk who took a leave of absence from the tour in May 2019 to address issues with alcohol abuse and depression received the PGA Tour courage award during the final round in Paradise Kirk said he was nervous but he never showed it the lack of wind left the plantation
Course vulnerable and the pros attacked the final round scoring average of 66.7 was the lowest single round average on tour on record on the par 73 layout Justin Rose equaled the course record with a 12 under 61 sunji I’m closed in 10 under 63 and set a record with 30 for
Birdies the most in a 70 to- hold tournament since 1983 Kirk birdied four holes in a five hole stretch on the front nine to maintain a narrow lead but the F birdied four in a row on both nines to keep the pressure on Kirk fala caught Kirk with a
Birdie at 15 to get to 27 under and one group later spth made birdie at 15 to make it a three-way tie at the top theala made his fourth birdie in a row and fifth in his last six holes at 16 to take sole possession of the lead at the
Time but he lipped out for Birdie on 18 that could have forced a playoff I knew I just needed to keep making birdies and there was a bunch of chances especially with the wind laying down fala said really wish I could have had that second
Shot on 18 back it’s not how it works spth was done in by a bad break at 16 where his t- shot plugged in a bunker and he made bogey he closed in 65 and finished third Kirk stayed cool and come to win the shootout playing with more
Self-belief than I’ve had in years he said along Ong the way he’s rediscovered his Love of the Game
