Chris Kirk birdied the 15th and 17th holes to polish off an eight-under 65 and kick off the PGA Tour season with a win at The Sentry on Jan 7 in Maui, Hawaii.
He had won the Honda Classic last February to end an eight-year drought between PGA Tour victories.
He took a leave of absence in 2019 to address mental health and addiction issues. Now he has his second win in 11 months and has jumped 27 spots to 25th in the world this week.
"It's 100 per cent the reason why I'm able to do what I do," Kirk said.
"I've said that a lot, but there would be my PGA Tour career would have been over a while ago, had I not gotten sober." Kirk was the 54-hole leader at the Plantation Course at Kapalua and expanded his advantage on Jan 7 with six birdies in his first 11 holes.
After Sahith Theegala's charge on the back nine, Kirk dialled in his second shot at the par-four 17th to 22 feet. The ensuing birdie let him finish at 29-under 263, one stroke ahead of his fellow American.
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Denne historien er fra January 09, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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