Chris Kirk’s exaltation on Sunday while hugging his caddie was one of the touching sights at the Kapalua Plantation Course, given the amount of struggle he went through to come back in the game. He made eight birdies in round four and no bogeys to clinch the cup over Sahith Theegala by one point.
In a post-game interview, he stated, “It was an unbelievable day.” Fighting alcoholism and getting back into golf is a huge achievement for the golfer. Looking at the entirety of the four rounds, Kirk’s impressive performance with only one bogey throughout the four days is a record in itself. Although Kirk is sober now, that hasn’t always been the case.
Chris Kirk Reflects on His Journey With Alcoholism
In 2019, Chris Kirk stepped away from playing to get rid of alcoholism. Then, after a period of rehabilitation and proper routine, he came back into the tour in the 2019 fall season. Finally, he came back to the winner’s circle with last year’s Honda Classic. That was the juncture since Kirk started revamping himself and he also received the Courage Award from the tour.
Kirk reflects on how he sees his journey to get sober as a significant part of his life.
“I hope it stays with me forever. It’s a huge part of my life still now. Definitely the best thing that I’ve ever done in my life is to get sober…I don’t feel like it’s taking away from anything that I’m accomplishing. It’s 100 percent the reason why I’m able to do what I do.”
Added to this, he continued,
“I’ve said that a lot, but there would be—my PGA Tour career would have been over awhile ago, had I not gotten sober. So, yeah, I’m fine with that staying with me for until the day I die.”
Kirk feels that his lost joy for golf is back, as he gave up on alcohol. Also, he likes the process of the hard work one puts into the game to win a tournament. He relishes practicing on the greens. After the win, the Sentry winner thanked everyone who had supported him throughout his career.
Now, taking a look at the Sentry, Theegala made nine birdies in his final round to secure a second place finish. Following him closely was Jordan Spieth, who settled for third place, got a double-bogey in round one, and in round four, he made a single bogey, landing his total score at 27-under 265.
Kirk also stated how the wind gave a tough time to the golfers.
“The wind had been doing for hours, and it kept sort of switching back and forth.”
Kirk’s performance might pave the way for the US Presidents Cup team. But whatever happens, this is just the start of the season. The golfer has a lot to achieve going forward.
