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2023 Honda Classic leaderboard, grades: Chris Kirk breaks eight-year drought with emotional playoff win

Kirk battled nerves, treachery and a pesky pursuer en route to his fifth career victory.

Chris Kirk was the last man standing at the 2023 Honda Classic as he successfully fended off a feisty Eric Cole in a playoff for his fifth career PGA Tour victory and first win in more than eight years. The final pairing went back-and-forth Sunday in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, as a featherweight bout unfolded on the grounds of PGA National. Two players in their mid-30s entered the ring and only one remained when play was completed. 

Beginning the final round with a two-stroke lead, Kirk quickly extended his margin to three with an opening birdie. Cole hit him with a few body punches of his own as he rattled off three straight birdies from Nos. 3-5 to draw even.

This seesaw battle would continue into the inward nine as Cole jumped out in front for the first time all day with another birdie on the par-4 13th. A bogey two holes later knocked him off balance and a counterpunch by Kirk on the 16th in the form of a birdie put the former Bulldog in command with two to play.

After an exchange of pars, the two both found the fairway on the 72nd hole before Kirk's second shot landed in the water. When Cole was unable to get-up-and-down for his birdie, Kirk tapped in for bogey to force a playoff.

Winning is hard. Leading by one, Chris Kirk’s approach finds the water on 18 @TheHondaClassic . pic.twitter.com/8cZvdpT5LR — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 26, 2023

In extra holes, Kirk put himself behind the eight ball when his missed the fairway, but a successful layup set the stage. From 101 yards out, the 37-year-old stuck his approach to tap-in distance. Once Cole's birdie bid from 10 feet away lipped out, Kirk's fifth victory was finally his.

"I was obviously very, very nervous today having not won in so long coming down the stretch," Kirk said. "I felt good, that putt on 16 was huge and I was in a great position on 18. I just made a bad swing at a bad time, but I was trying to stay aggressive and hit it in the middle of the green. In hindsight it may have been better to hit it over there left somewhere, but thank God it worked out."

GOLF SHOT. @Chris_Kirk_ nearly holes out for eagle and will have a tap-in birdie @TheHondaClassic . Eric Cole will have to get up-and-down from a green side bunker to force another playoff hole. pic.twitter.com/46OSaUhL9M — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 26, 2023

From a broader perspective, the PGA Tour could not have scripted a better tournament following two designated events on the West Coast. Even though the field lacked star power relative to those at TPC Scottsdale and Riviera, the storylines were still abundant. Between Kirk and Cole battling it out down the stretch at a treacherous golf course and a player such as Ryan Gerard attempting to go from Monday qualifying to winning on the PGA Tour, this "regular" event brought the heat.

"I can't yet [describe this moment]," Kirk said. "I just have so much to be thankful for. I am so grateful, I am so grateful for my sobriety, I am so grateful for my family, I am so grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout the past three or four years."

While a $3.6 million top prize in a designated event is wonderful and brings out the best in the top players, a quality outing to players in this field is arguably more meaningful. For Gerard it meant a spot in the field next week at the Puerto Rico Open. For Cole it meant job security in the form of much-needed FedEx Cup points.

Finally, for Kirk it means the climb since taking an indefinite leave in 2019 to seek help in his battle against alcohol is complete.

"I think more than the time [since my last win], just how much my life has changed in that time, getting close to four years of sobriety, and that is the reason why I'm able to play," said Kirk. "It's the reason why I have such a great relationship with my family. Everything that I have is because of that. I have to remember that first and foremost, and it'll sink in eventually, but it certainly hasn't right now."

It also means a trip back to Georgia. No, not to his alma mater in Athens, but rather to Augusta National where Kirk will be invited to the 2023 Masters for the fourth time in his career and first time since 2016. Grade: A+

Here is the breakdown of the rest of the leaderboard at the 2023 Honda Classic

T5. Sepp Straka (-9):  The defending champion began his weekend with four straight birdies in his third round but was unable to fully claw his way back into contention. The good news for Straka is this finish marks his best result on the PGA Tour since falling in a playoff to Mackenzie Hughes at the Sanderson Farms Championship. The Austrian has been known as a player to go on mini-spurts when he finds his form -- just look at last year's FedEx Cup Playoffs -- and another could be in his near future.  Grade: A-

T5. Shane Lowry (-9): It has been a slow start to 2023 for the Irishman but the Honda Classic was another step in the right direction. Finding something at Riviera, Lowry carried some mojo from the West Coast to the state of Florida. Lowry was unable to avenge his runner-up performance from a season ago, yet will still take solace in this performance. His stellar tee-to-green acumen has now been on display for two straight weeks leaving him only the putter -- which has been a problem area for the last eight months -- to figure out. Grade: B+

T40. Billy Horschel (-2): The former Florida Gator began the week admitting he was under the weather and resistant to swing changes. Horschel shot out to a share of the first-round lead with a 5-under 65 but immediately backtracked on Friday with a round of 3 over. This back-and-forth, up-and-down performance encapsulates Horschel's start to 2023. There has been some good, but the bad has outweighed it as he has yet to collect a top-20 finish in five tournaments. Grade: C

T40. Sungjae Im (-2):  A heavy playing schedule may be beginning to catch up to the South Korean. Since the calendar flipped to 2023, Im has only taken only one tournament off (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am) and is scheduled to play five straight weeks by the time The Players Championship concludes. He was the clear class of this field and while his off-the-tee numbers were promising, his approach and putting metrics were equally discouraging.  Grade: C-

MC. Denny McCarthy (-): He lives down the street from PGA National so the early exit was not too much of a burden on his travel plans. McCarthy remains winless on the PGA Tour and the relatively weak field at the Honda Classic appeared prime for his breakthrough moment. He was unable to recover from a 5-over 75 in Round 1 and will instead search elsewhere for his first victory. Grade: F

Rick Gehman is joined by Greg DuCharme, Mark Immelman and Patrick McDonald to recap the 2023 Honda Classic at PGA National and take a look at what happened at LIV Mayakoba. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  

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‘Staying with me until … I die’: Why Chris Kirk holds closely 1 of his biggest fights

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Chris Kirk hits his tee shot on Sunday on the 16th hole on the Plantation Course at Kapalua.

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Don’t let the exterior deceive you, Chris Kirk says. The near-robotic gait. The wooden face.

It’s all a ruse, he admits, though a calculated one. 

Did you see it Sunday? The sham was on atop Kapalua’s 18th green, where Kirk was 15 feet and two strokes from victory at the Sentry , the former Tournament of Champions. It’d go down as the biggest win of the 38-year-old Georgian’s life. It’d pay significantly more than any of his other five PGA Tour wins. A cool $3.6 mill.    

You saw nothing, though. Nary a shake or a sweat, along with presumably the fewest number of heartbeats required to keep Kirk kicking. 

But don’t worry, he felt it all. 

Really. 

“I probably don’t look very happy, but that’s kind of by design,” he said shortly after two-putting and covering those 5 yards to win . 

“I sort of feel like — even on the last hole when all I needed to do was make par to win, I just was like, you know, I wasn’t willing to break character, if you will. I want to play where I don’t show any emotion. I’m certainly feeling it, obviously. I’ve just kind of found over the years that’s how I play my best. I’m truly just trying to go step by step, shot by shot, just little by little. 

“In my mind, the results are not — you add it up at the end, but it’s something you have no control over. You only have control over, like, right now, and so I try to spend as much time as I can during the day of just kind of zeroed in on what’s next.”

There’s a comfortable-in-his-own-golf-shirt vibe there, right? A feeling of he understands fully what the best version of him looks like.

But you want more proof, though. OK, here’s more.

Chris Kirk holds off Spieth, Theegala for 2024’s first PGA Tour title at the Sentry

Did you see Kirk on 17 on Sunday? Oh goodness. With his second stroke, from just over two football fields out, dude curled a crisp 5-iron to a yard. A yard! It didn’t lock up the proceedings, but it’d take something silly to stop him. There’s a setup here, though, that you absolutely must hear. Kirk shared it. 

Playing partner Akshay Bhatia hit first, only he took some time to do so. The Hawaiian winds were Hawaiian wind-ing. Tee shots on the hole were into the breezes, Kirk said. Now, the breezes were straight downwind. Kirk held 7-iron. But he was still confused. The winds hadn’t done this before. As Bhatia hit, they then moved again, back into the players. Kirk grabbed his 5.  

Wait, wait, wait. 

Kirk was good with a 7, then felt some wind, then clubbed two clubs down, on maybe one of the biggest shots of his life?

Yes, yes he was. 

Knocked it to 3 feet, too. 

Moxie. 

He thought so, too. 

“Talk about a tough shot to commit to,” Kirk said. “When you’re about to pull 7 and you end up hitting 5, that doesn’t happen ever. 

“That never happens.”

There’s that vibe again. That feeling of self-best-understanding. 

With two to play … Chris Kirk sticks it to two feet for birdie and the lead @TheSentry . pic.twitter.com/SdvixsUVZV — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 8, 2024

There’s more. 

This is good, though you’d imagine it’d be sensitive. 

The Kirk story has taken a detour. Many lives do, of course. His had originally been on a rocket ship. In 2011, four years into his career, he won. From 2013 to 2015, he won three more times. In 2015, he played on the U.S. Presidents Cup team. And in May of 2019, he was done. He said he’d been battling alcoholism and depression for a while. He wouldn’t come back until that fall. In an excellent piece on the PGA Tour’s website (which you should take the time to read here ), he described his breaking point this way:

“I was just fighting it and fighting it. Finally, after a couple of relapses, if that is what you want to call it, in April it was just like, ‘OK, I can’t do this anymore. I have got to change something because I am going to end up with nothing. …’

“It was when I realized I just really, truly do not have control over this, because I really wanted to not be doing it and I still was.”

But why bring this up? Kirk is sober now. He’s been so for almost five years. 

Kirk hopes you remember, though. 

Last February, when he won for the first time in nearly eight years, at the then-named Honda Classic, he answered each and every question about his fight. But now he’s won again. And you’d fear that folks would bring it all up again. It wouldn’t be just Kirk, the winning golfer. Would it ever be?

On Sunday, the Associated Press’ Doug Ferguson asked him about that.  

We’ll end this piece about Kirk with their exchange. 

“When you were contending at Rocket Mortgage in 2020, and won on Korn Ferry, certainly won Honda last year, it’s always the guy who had to step away to overcome alcohol and depression, et cetera. How much longer will that be with you? When you do something great, that the first reference is, the guy who did this, as opposed to who you are as a player, and are you OK with that?”

‘I thank God that alcohol won’t be part of it’: Chris Kirk opens up on his fight

“I hope it stays with me forever,” Kirk said.

“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. So, I understand what you’re saying, that, you know, but 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. 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. So, yeah, I’m fine with that staying with me for until the day I die.”

“Could you have done what you did without going public?”

“I’ve never really thought about that, if I could have. It certainly has been helpful and been beneficial to me to be open and be public about it. I live a decent amount of my life sort of in the public view, somewhat anyways, and so, you know, the biggest thing for me was waking up every morning and looking at myself in the mirror and knowing that I’ve got nothing to hide, and I can be proud of who I am. So, I didn’t feel like that was really going to be quite as possible if I was not open about it.”

“Kind of an accountability thing?”

“Somewhat, I guess so, yeah, but it was just more of just the freedom of not lying to myself and lying to other people, that’s what it was more. Yeah, there is some sense of accountability there, for sure.

“But, yeah, like I said, it’s definitely more about just, I felt free for the first time in a long time.”

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Chris Kirk’s ‘best shot of his career’ leads to 6th PGA Tour victory at The Sentry

Kirk had to outlast the rest of The Sentry’s field, but it was enough for him to win his sixth PGA Tour win and first of the 2024 season

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Share All sharing options for: Chris Kirk’s ‘best shot of his career’ leads to 6th PGA Tour victory at The Sentry

There was a sprint to the end as so many players at The Sentry field went low on Sunday. However, it was the 54-hole leader, Chris Kirk, who was able to outlast them all.

He led by one entering the final round at Kapalua's Plantation course in Maui, Hawaii. To earn his 6th PGA Tour win, Kirk posted a bogey-free 8-under 65 to finish at 29-under overall.

While his eight birdies were impressive on Sunday, it was the one on 17 that sealed the deal. He was just glad he didn’t have the honor on that hole or the iconic moment wouldn't have happened.

Thankfully, one of the guys he played with, Akshay Bhatia, took his time to understand the wind, and it switched Kirk's decision from a 7-iron and he decided to "choke up on a 5-iron.”

“Yeah, that shot on 17 was crazy, one of the best shots of my career, for sure,” he said. “I’m very proud, very, very proud of that shot, that I was able to make the right call — talk about a tough shot to commit to. When you’re about to pull 7 and end up hitting 5, that doesn’t happen ever. That never happens.”

With two to play ... Chris Kirk sticks it to two feet for birdie and the lead @TheSentry . pic.twitter.com/SdvixsUVZV — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 8, 2024

Kirk had people press him all day long on Sunday. Sahith Theegala, Jordan Spieth, and others would take or share the lead but couldn't hold onto it.

Theegala was one of the players who challenged Kirk throughout the day. He had a shot at the win, but a poor tee shot on 17 and a lip-out miss on 18 for birdie ultimately cost him the tournament. He finished his day with a 10-under 63, one shot back of Kirk.

But by the time Kirk got to 17, that birdie was all he needed to secure the win.

"That's the only time I've made a significant putt to win a TOUR event, and that was an amazing, amazing feeling," Kirk said. "No matter how I felt, no matter how nervous I was, there was nothing stopping me from hitting great shots, hitting great putts. I was able to remind myself that before every shot, and that one on 17, I'll remember for a long time."

The former Georgia Bulldog did a lot of work this offseason with his game and his mindset to prepare for this season. Those changes helped him start the year 1-0.

"It's unreal. It's just so unexpected," Kirk said. "I had a really great off-season, and I got a lot of good work done and felt good about the year, but you never really expect to go shoot 29-under. Yeah, it's unbelievable. Still kind of soaking it in."

Kirk's short game was on point as the 38-year-old led the field in strokes gained around the green and in scrambling as he was successful 11-of-12 times. He was also No. 1 in strokes gained total, picking up 10.459 strokes on the other players.

The ability to pick up those shots came when he needed it most.

Kirk won the Honda Classic last February to earn a spot in this year's field, and now he can rebook his reservation. The 38-year-old is the first to know that he will be in Maui for the 2025 Sentry.

He is also the early 2024 FedEx Cup leader, earning 700 points in the first Signature event of the year. Kirk is in the field for the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii, next week, where he will tee it up in paradise looking for another victory.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

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Chris kirk holds 54-hole honda classic lead, looking for first pga tour win in eight years.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Chris Kirk’s last win on the PGA Tour was nearly eight years ago. He’s put himself in a position to change that at the Honda Classic.

Kirk battled his way to a 4-under round of 66 on Saturday, putting him at 13-under 197 for the week and giving him a two-shot lead over Eric Cole (66) through three rounds at PGA National.

His last win on tour was at Colonial in 2015 — 180 tournaments ago. He’s a four-time winner on tour, played in the Presidents Cup in 2015, and has been waiting to hoist a trophy again since.

Kirk made a wild birdie on the last, after his second shot on the par-5 18th wound up next to the grandstand and underneath someone’s bag that was left against the structure. He got a drop, chipped on from there and made the putt to restore a two-shot lead.

Full-field scores from The Honda Classic

And now he has a chance to be a winner again — with most of the players nearest to him on the leaderboard looking for their first tour wins.

“It’s been so long since I’ve won,” Kirk said. “I’m going to be plenty nervous, just as nervous as those guys are probably.”

Cole stayed in the mix with his second consecutive round of 66.

“It’s awesome,” Cole said. “I’ve never played this event before. Tried to qualify a bunch of times ... I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

Justin Suh holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 12th, and is alone in third at 10 under. He shot even-par 70 on Saturday.

Shane Lowry (65) is 9 under, and right in the mix after having a chance to win the Honda last year until the 72nd hole. He’s tied with Ben Taylor (69).

“If I can just hang around all day, hopefully I can give myself a chance coming down the stretch,” Lowry said. “I think I did what I needed to do today.”

• Max Schreiber ,

Among those lurking: defending champion Sepp Straka, who followed opening rounds of 69 and 68 with a 66 on Saturday. He’s 7 under for the week, six shots back. It was Straka’s sixth consecutive round in the 60’s at PGA National.

“It’s a tough test, but if you’re hitting it good, you can score,” Straka said.

Straka went to Georgia, as did Kirk. When Straka got his first win at Honda a year ago, Kirk was one of the players who braved an intense rainstorm to congratulate Straka when it was over.

“We stay together all the time. He’s usually the guy that gets us a house,” Straka said. “I’ve gotten to know Chris very well over the last few years, one of my best friends. He’s been playing great golf for a couple years now. It’s not surprising to me, especially around this course.”

Sunday is a big day for two players with a shot of qualifying for The Players Championship by getting into the top 50 in the world. Min Woo Lee struggled to a 73 on Saturday and is tied for 58th at even par through 54 holes; Adrian Meronk is tied for 20th at 4 under.

Lee started the week No. 47; Meronk started No. 53.

DIVOTS: Ryan Brehm (64) made a big move Saturday, starting the round tied for 60th and finishing tied for 15th at 5-under 205. ... Akshay Bhatia needed a new outfit after . He went shirtless for the shot – one of two shirtless escapades during his round — getting covered in mud, and his girlfriend brought him a change of clothes. “It was really gross. Really, really gross,” Bhatia said

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Chris kirk's final-round 65 seals sixth pga tour win by one at sentry.

In the final round of The Sentry 2024, Chris Kirk shot an 8-under 65 to get to 29-under overall, good enough to win his sixth PGA TOUR title by one shot.

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Orlando Cepeda dies

Chris Kirk makes late birdie to take PGA Tour season opener at Kapalua

Chris Kirk holds the champions trophy after the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Kirk hits from the 13th tee during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Kirk tips his cap after the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Kirk misses his shot on the second green during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Sahith Theegala waves on the second green during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Jordan Spieth reacts to missing his shot on the second green during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Kirk tosses his ball to his caddy on the second green during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Sungjae Im walks off the second green during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Scottie Scheffler watches his shot on the second green during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Kirk watches his shot on the 14th green during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Sahith Theegala hits from the 18th tee during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Sahith Theegala reacts after missing his birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Chris Kirk finds pure joy in golf from the work that’s required and how hard it is to succeed, and Sunday at The Sentry was plenty difficult.

A dozen players were lined up behind him, all of them capable of ripping off a low one.

The conditions were so placid the average score in the final round at Kapalua was 66.66, making this the lowest average score to par (6.34 under) of any round on the PGA Tour since it began keeping detailed records in 1983.

Tougher still was being tied for the lead, 209 yards away on the 17th hole with a gorge between him and the flag and a light wind that felt like it was blowing both directions.

Kirk went from a 7-iron to a 5-iron and hit what he considers the best shot of his career to 2 feet for birdie that sent him to an 8-under 65 and a one-shot victory over Sahith Theegala.

“When you’re about to pull 7 and you end up hitting 5, that doesn’t happen ever. That never happens,” he said. “So to be able to commit to it like I did and make that good of a swing was an incredible feeling.”

Kirk is happy to be competing again after stepping away in 2019 for alcoholism and depression, and he capped his long journey back last year by winning the Honda Classic. This was another big step, beating a world-class field on a day when any miss was costly.

Theegala stayed with him step for step until his 10-foot birdie putt swirled in and out of the cup, forcing him to settle for a 63. Jordan Spieth was tied for the lead when his tee shot on the 16th plugged into the sand right below the lip, effectively a one-shot penalty. He narrowly missed a 15-foot eagle on the final hole and shot 65 to finish third.

Kirk started the final round with a one-shot lead and had to post 65 to win by one. That was hard work. And there was a lot of joy beneath that emotionless demeanor.

There was a time when golf meant nothing to him as he cared only about salvaging a life that had become dependent on the drink.

“I love the process of working to be the best player that I can when I’m working on that, and then working on being as good of a father and husband as I can when I’m off the golf course,” he said. “It’s a constant process and I’m just loving every minute of it.”

It was the third straight year the winner at Kapalua posted a Sunday round of 8 under or better, and Kirk required no less to win the PGA Tour’s season opener. Theegala started two shots behind, shot 63 and it wasn’t quite enough.

“It’s really hard to be sad or upset about having a nice Sunday round,” Theegala said. “Parring the last hole leaves a little bit of a sour taste. Honestly, nothing but positives. I felt like I stayed in it until the very end.”

Kirk was tied when he hit 5-iron over the gorge to a right pin on the 17th, the ball rolling out to just over 2 feet for a tap-in birdie on the toughest hole on the back nine of the Plantation course. That allowed him to play the 18th conservatively, knowing a par would be enough for his sixth career PGA Tour victory.

He finished at 29-under 263 and earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse, the first of eight signature events in the new PGA Tour model of big purses and elite fields.

The 38-year-old from Georgia looks as relaxed as anyone, a good fit for the islands. His greatest win remains his recovery from alcoholism and depression, which led to him stepping away for six months of treatment in 2019.

The PGA Tour honored him with its “Courage Award” — he was only the sixth recipient — at the end of last season. There was no better way to start the new year.

The victory assures him a spot in the Masters — he was just outside the top 50 in the world at the end of last year — and allows him to book a return trip to Kapalua to start next year. He was making his first appearance at The Sentry in eight years.

“I’m so thankful for these last five years. It’s been incredible,” Kirk said.

Spieth, who won in 2016 at Kapalua, stayed in the hunt all day with his five straight birdies around the turn. He caught up to Kirk and Theegala with birdies at the 14th and 15th. And then his chances all but ended with one swing on the 16th.

“It was a full shot (penalty) at a pretty pivotal time,” Spieth said. “But I’ve got to be a little tighter off the tee.”

Kirk could sense the importance of every putt, and the pressure mounted when he missed a good birdie chance on the reachable 14th with a pedestrian pitch and then missed a pair of putts from 12 feet — for eagle on No. 15 and birdie on No. 16.

But he delivered the key shot on the 17th, a birdie that gave him comfort playing the 18th and its spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean and the island of Molokai on the horizon.

Sungjae Im managed to get into the PGA Tour record books with 34 birdies for the week. The previous record for a 72-hole tournament was 32 set three times, most recently last year by Jon Rahm. That illustrates what kind of test the Plantation course has become.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Travelers Championship

TPC River Highlands

MY GAME | 12 PART SERIES

kirk finds his groove

If you thought Chris Kirk was pleased with his year just because he won, think again

Michael Reaves

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — After missing the cut at the Players in mid-March, Chris Kirk returned home to Georgia in a foul mood. With good reason. It marked the second week in a row without a win on the PGA Tour.

No, seriously. He was not happy.

Just two weeks after winning the Honda Classic for his first victory in nearly eight years to author one of the true feel-good stories of the season, Kirk left TPC Sawgrass fuming. His victory at PGA National, in a playoff over rookie Eric Cole, was an emotional one for the quiet veteran, who had battled all the way back from the depths of alcoholism and depression. He could not have been more grateful to his wife and three sons and all the people around him who had supported him through some difficult times.

Two weeks later, he said, “I got home and my wife and everybody wanted to celebrate, and I was kind of pissed that I missed the cut at the Players. That’s just how we’re wired, I think.”

Kirk is feeling a little better about himself for the first time in a while after carding his second straight four-under 66 in the BMW Championship. The bogey-free effort on a temperate Friday at Olympia Fields Country Club has him solidly in the hunt in the second FedEx Cup playoff event and in great shape to advance to the Tour Championship for the first time since 2014.

At eight-under 132, Kirk trails Max Homa by two strokes after the Californian ripped up the North Course at Olympia Fields for a course-record 62.

You would think Kirk, 38, would hang onto the euphoria of his breakthrough for his fifth career tour title for a little while, but you would be wrong. Success in golf is too fleeting to savor for an extended length of time. As he put it succinctly, “golf is such a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of sport.”

Since his victory, Kirk, ranked 42nd in the world, has been without a top-10 finish. He lost his mojo and has been trying to work his way back to the form that produced early-season back-to-back top-three finishes before his win at the last Honda Classic. He felt like he’s been beating his head against the wall, he said, but enjoyed a bit of a breakthrough at last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he ended T-16.

So, in a way, he was proving his own point.

“It doesn't linger that long, unfortunately,” Kirk said of his ability to cling to that winning feeling. “It certainly makes it where the little bad stretches are a little bit more bearable because it's not like you're grinding to try to make the first playoff event or grinding to try to keep your card. That is a lot more pressure and a lot more frustrating than where I was after not playing great for a few weeks.

“Yeah, it's nice looking back on those things,” he added, “but sometimes in your game you can be two weeks separated from winning a tournament, and it feels like a distant memory. You just never know.”

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The PGA Tour's Signature Events Had Worthy Winners in 2024, But Still Need Some Work

I t is nearly impossible for the PGA Tour and its signature events to deliver the type of outcome intended for these tournaments that are meant to enrich the players while bringing together as many of the best in the game as possible for the enjoyment of the fans.

Scottie Scheffler did his best to do his part.

Scheffler’s playoff victory over Tom Kim on Sunday at the Travelers Championship gave him four victories out of the eight signature events, which saw their first year in this format come to an end, with revisions surely to come.

These big-money, small-field events that were borne out of the need to compensate the best in the game at a higher level—and in five of the eight cases offered guaranteed money—have largely met their goal.

Not every tournament will be compelling, not every event will have a big-name winner.

But in seven of the eight signature events—albeit it four of them won by Scheffler—a previous major champion was the winner.

Chris Kirk, who captured the Sentry in January, was the only non-major winner to prevail. Wyndham Clark, who won the 2023 U.S. Open, captured the shortened AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational.

After that it was all Scheffler (Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Memorial and Travelers) except for four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, who won the Wells Fargo the week prior to the PGA Championship. Scheffler did not play that week. McIlroy skipped this week.

And therein lies one of the potential issues with the signature events—the schedule. In an effort to avoid isolating regular events between the biggest tournaments, the PGA Tour sought to make sure there was at least a run of two such smaller events preceding a signature event—one as a vehicle for qualification but also so a tournament such as the RBC Canadian wouldn’t be stuck between a signature event (the Memorial) and a major (the U.S. Open.)

And yet, that brought on its own problems. It means, for example, that players not in the signature events or the U.S. Open had no place to play the last three weeks.

It also put someone like Scheffler, who tied for 45th at the U.S. Open, in the position of having to decry winning at the Memorial because the event might have compromised his abilities at the major championship.

That issue has already been dealt with as the Memorial is moving to two weeks prior to the U.S. Open next year.

And the Tour has already said that going forward, signature events will have a minimum of 72 players.

Which leads to another discussion point. Why not more?

Why limit these events to so few players when you could easily justify a more robust field?

It’s been suggested that all of the signature events should have 100 players with a 36-hole cut. If the compensation issue is a problem, figure out a way to pay everyone who misses the cut.

That big of a field seems a non-starter so the Tour should at least assure 78 players, something easily accomplished via the current FedEx Cup points list, current-year Tour winners and even the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

The Tour gives up its “everyman” mantra with these signature events and has upset many of the rank-and-file who are now competing in regular events that pay less than half of the $20 million purses and also significantly less FedEx Cup points (750 to the winner versus 500). At least let a few more of them into the big-time events and see if the schedule can’t be a bit more reasonable so as not to burden the best players.

“It’s been a lot,” said Collin Morikawa, who finished second to Scheffler at the Memorial and also has been a frequent contender recently. “I feel like this year has just felt a little bit more of a sprint, let's call it. But I think that's just because of the season, not having a fall portion or at least not having a fall portion that's counted towards this season.

“I think that's an adjustment, but I have nothing wrong with it. Every other sport they're playing every day, every few days. Granted, our weeks are a lot longer and, we get pretty drained as well, but a lot of these tournaments I would have played no matter what, wherever they were on the schedule, and you kind of work them in. So it kind of worked out in my favor where I wanted to play the week before a major, a lot of 'em lined up like that. So just kind of continue that.”

Bryson's victory tour

Bryson DeChambeau crammed a lot into the week following his U.S. Open victory, including visits to the Today show in New York along with various other appearances where he took the U.S. Open trophy.

On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , he took the trophy into the audience.

And then he brought it to Lower Broadway in Nashville in advance of the LIV Golf Nashville tournament, which started Friday and concluded Sunday.

By Saturday, DeChambeau was admittedly running out of energy, even if his golf had not fallen off.

“My brain is not fully functioning so I’m not able to speak coherently all the time,” he said. “But the fans have been fantastic. They’ve been brilliant. Very gracious to have them out there supporting me like that.”

Tyrrell Hatton proved too much on Sunday, winning his first LIV Golf event by six shots. DeChambeau tied for third, seven strokes back in what was a solid effort given the enormity of his victory a week ago and all that transpired.

It was his best finish in nine LIV events this year and only his second top five.

But he was tied for sixth at the Masters and second at the PGA Championship prior to his U.S. Open win.

“I’m impressed,” said Jon Rahm, when asked about the inevitable post-major hangover. “Especially taking into account that he went and did the whole New York news shows. I didn't do that. I played the week after (his 2023 Masters win) in Hilton Head and it was quite difficult and tiring.

“But we saw Scottie (Scheffler) win the week after (the Masters at the RBC Heritage) this year, and Bryson seems to be a guy who naturally has a lot of energy. I would never question him being able to perform.

“I think it becomes more a mental thing, right? Can you focus on still playing good golf even though you’ve accomplished something incredible? I think he’s in good enough shape physically that he can handle it, it’s just being able to do it mentally.

“I think one of the things that is never really talked about enough about players ... obviously like Tiger (Woods) or Jack (Nicklaus), is the fact that they were able to win multiple majors in a season consistently, and I don’t think most people understand how demanding that is mentally, just to get that done, the media obligations you have afterwards amongst all those things.

“It’s definitely impressive to see what some other players have been able to do.”

The last player to win two majors in the same year was Brooks Koepka (U.S. Open, PGA) in 2018. Jordan Spieth (Masters, U.S. Open) did it in 2015, and Rory McIlroy (British Open, PGA) did it in 2014. Prior to that, Padraig Harrington (British and PGA) was the last in 2008.

Woods won multiple majors in a year in 2000 (U.S. Open, British, PGA); 2002 (Masters, U.S. Open); 2005 (Masters, British) and 2006 (British, PGA).

Nicklaus won two majors in a year in 1963 (Masters, PGA), 1966 (Masters, British), 1972 (Masters, U.S. Open), 1975 (Masters, PGA) and 1980 (U.S. Open, PGA).

Arnold Palmer: American hero

Scottie Scheffler is on an amazing roll, having won his sixth tournament of the year on the PGA Tour and matching a feat not accomplished since Arnold Palmer in 1962: six victories prior to July 1. Tiger Woods never did that, nor did Jack Nicklaus.

But Scheffler has a little ways to go in order to match an interesting feat that Palmer accomplished at the Masters: he was in eight consecutive green jacket ceremonies from 1958 through 1965.

Think about it: Arnie won the Masters in 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964. That made him part of giving the jacket to the winner the following year: to Art Wall in 1959, Gary Player in 1961, Jack Nicklaus in 1963 and Nicklaus again in 1965.

Martin Davis highlights this and many other aspects of Palmer’s life and career in his large book called Arnold Palmer: American Hero . Stripped across two pages are photos of Palmer from each of those Masters ceremonies.

This is the seventh such book Davis has done in a large 11-by-14-inch format that is filled with essays and photos, some never seen before. The book weighs eight pounds and follows other books he’s done in similar fashion on Ben Hogan (two), Byron Nelson, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and the Ryder Cup.

“We always wanted to do this and I thought it just was the wrong time,” said Davis of a book on Palmer, who died in 2016. “This just seemed like the right time while people still remember him fondly.

“What we do with these books are what I would call love stories. There’s no heavy criticism. They’ve all been formatted the same way, with essays on different aspects of their lives.”

Among them were stories written by players such as Gary Player, Nancy Lopez and Peter Jacobsen, Palmer’s good friend and former LPGA commissioner Charlie Mecham and by his longtime assistant and former newspaper writer “Doc” Giffin, who worked for Palmer for more than 50 years.

In all, there are more than 20 essays in 272 pages with more than 300 photos, which include an analysis of his swing and his putting.

“One of the joys of the book is all the photos. Where do you find them?” Davis said. “A lot of them you’ve seen before, like throwing his hat in the air at the ’60 (U.S.) Open (at Cherry Hills) when he won. There’s a lot of them that have never been published and we probably looked at more than 2,500 photos. And we try to set ourselves apart with very high production values.”

Davis said he worked on the book for more than four years and the end product is chock full of anything and everything related to Palmer’s golf and life.

Among the neat aspects is a section on Palmer’s letter-writing habit that he got into, sending a note of congratulations after players won various events. There’s the telegram he sent Jack Nicklaus after the Golden Bear won the 1986 Masters at age 46 that offered congratulations and also said: “Do you think there’s hope for a 56-year-old?”

One that is particularly poignant was written in September 2016 and addressed to Paul Broadhurst, who Palmer was congratulating on Broadhurst's senior victory at Pebble Beach and sent to his home in the United Kingdom. It was dated just six days prior to Palmer’s death.

A few more things

Scottie Scheffler became the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six times on the PGA Tour prior to July 1. The win at the Travelers Championship gives him victories at the Masters, the Players and four signature events. He’s now won 12 times in his PGA Tour career, all since the start of 2022. He is also the first player with six wins in a season since Tiger Woods in 2009.

Scheffler will take a few weeks off prior to the British Open. He is not planning to play the Scottish Open the week prior as he did last year. After that it’s the Olympics and then the FedEx Cup playoffs. He has earned more than $27.6 million in prize money this year, surpassing the $21 million record he set in 2021.

LIV Golf has a few weeks off before its next event in Spain at Valderamma. That is the week prior to the British Open. Its U.K. event follows the British.

Dustin Johnson turned 40 on Saturday but there wasn’t much to celebrate regarding his golf. His 72–70–75 weekend in Nashville saw him post his worst LIV Golf finish in 29 individual events with a tie for 51st. His previous worst was 37th last year in the season-opening event in Mexico when he was coming off an injury. Johnson, a two-time major champion, has missed the cut in three of his last four majors and his best this year is a tie for 43rd at the PGA.

Tom Hoge and Christiaan Bezuidenhout earned spots in the British Open via the top 20 in the FedEx Cup standings after the Travelers at 18th and 20th, respectively. The exemption is for anyone in the top 20 not already exempt, up to five players.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as The PGA Tour's Signature Events Had Worthy Winners in 2024, But Still Need Some Work .

NFL star, Detroiter Sauce Gardner has taken up golf, and PGA Tour pros dig it

Detroit — New golfers can go years before they break 100.

Then there's Detroit football star Sauce Gardner, who took up the game seriously within the past few weeks — and has caught the attention of the PGA Tour pros in town for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Earlier this week, a reporter for the PGA Tour started showing players clips that Gardner had posted of his swing on X (formerly Twitter). All were impressed, and most couldn't believe he had just picked up the game.

"I mean, if Sauce is just getting going … I like the possibilities," said Rickie Fowler, the defending champion at the Rocket. "There's a lot of good athletic moves and speed in there. A little work, watch out."

Said Will Zalatoris: "I mean, he's got some speed, for one. I mean, the dude's an athlete, we know that, but this is … that's pretty impressive. Clean up a little bit of the short game there and he's going to be pretty good, pretty quick. All those football guys are freak athletes. I played with Calvin Johnson and Aidan Hutchinson on the (AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble), and those guys were silly good around the greens. That's pretty impressive."

Gardner, 23, of course has a day job. A Detroit King alum, he played college ball at Cincinnati before he was the No. 4 overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft. The cornerback was the 2022 defensive rookie of the year, and has been first-team All Pro and a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first two seasons.

But with NFL training camp set to start next month, Gardner is getting a few last licks in on the links.

Earlier this week, he posted a scorecard of what he said was his first time playing his own ball for 18 holes. Gardner shot a 96 at Forest Hill Field Club in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

"He doesn't need any help from me," said Chris Kirk, having another good week at the Rocket. "He's a lot better than I was two weeks into playing golf. Just let him do his thing."

Said Taylor Montgomery, another guy in the hunt at the halfway point at the Rocket: "How long has he played for? That's crazy. Well, if he needs swing tips, I'd tell him to go to somebody else. … That's awesome. That's really cool."

[email protected]

@tonypaul1984

Expert Picks: Rocket Mortgage Classic

Expert Picks

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How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of four Segments.

Aside from the experts below, Golfbet Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in this week's edition of Power Rankings .

Betting picks

Odds were sourced on Tuesday, June 25. For live odds, visit BetMGM .

WILL GRAY (Lead, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Taylor Pendrith (+2800) – Now a proven winner with a long game and putting stroke to scare others when he gets hot.
• Top 10: Patton Kizzire (+1400) – Call me crazy but with top-30s in four of his last five starts I think this two-time TOUR winner might be ready for a big week. Ranks sixth on TOUR in SG: Approach.
• Longshot: Ryan Fox (+5000) – Recently showed he has the game to contend at the RBC Canadian Open and is one of the better putters on TOUR (27th).
• Head-to-Head (H2H): Aaron Rai (-105) over Alex Noren – Both Europeans are place market contenders from week to week and both were T9 here a year ago but with Noren missing a few cuts of late Rai gets the nod.

BEN EVERILL (Senior writer, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Cameron Young (+1400) – Arguably the best player on TOUR without a victory so it’s time to take him off the list. In form coming in and a runner up previously on this track. Will need to make some putts though which is why many are fading his price. Might be a wait and see type number.
• Top 10: Taylor Pendrith (+250) – I really like Pendrith as an outright contender also given his high ranking in Strokes Gained: Putting, the rediscovery of his long game after shoulder issues, plus the confidence of a recent win on TOUR.
• Longshot: Chris Kirk (+5000) – Four top 21s at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the past plus a very good Tee-to-Green game make Kirk a must for my card in some capacity. Also ranks second on TOUR for approaches inside 125-yards of which there will be a few this week.
• H2H: Cameron Young (+115) over Tom Kim – All the sharp money appears to be heading to Kim after his awesome week at Travelers but I’m expecting a letdown in his ninth consecutive event.

CHRIS BREECE (Senior content manager, Golfbet)

• Winner: Davis Thompson (+3300) – Past results at this event say the winner will be in good recent form. Among Thompson’s last five events he has finishes of T2, T9 and T17. It will be a putting shoot out this week. While he is an average putter statistically, he has the ability to get hot on the greens.
• Top 10: Chris Kirk (+400) – His production on this course stands out with three straight finishes inside the top 17.
• Longshot: Troy Merritt (+12500) – Technically, he is the horse for the course here. The last four years he has gone 2nd, 8th, 14th and 17th.
• H2H: Akshay Bhatia (+100) over Min Woo Lee – I’m not sure how Bhatia is the underdog here. At the very least he will show some similar form to last week’s high finish.

MATT DELVECCHIO (Social content manager, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Akshay Bhatia (+2000) – Akshay Bhatia is the best player in the field. He is the third favorite in odds and the gap between him at third and Cam Young at second is large. I'll say it again, the books continue to insult Bhatia with these outright numbers. 80/1 last week proved to be the wrong number with how close he came, now 20/1 in a field where he is clealry the best player needs to be taken advantage of. Back Bhatia this week.
• Top-10: Alejandro Tosti (+700) – It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Tosti on TOUR (Charles Schwab Challenege almost a month ago where he finished T17). I believe his absense has boosted his value a bit because of the unknowns with how he’ll perform coming back. He drove the ball great in Texas and had the iron game to support (gained +1.72 true strokes per round with approach game). He should come back and contend this week.
• Longshot: Jake Knapp (+10000) – He’s a rising star who has seen some early success in his career. I think his run will continue and this week feels like a week we see him pop up again come Sunday.
• H2H: Akshay Bhatia (+100) over Min Woo Lee – The better player is the underdog… Min Woo Lee has been on a hot stretch but he’s not as good as Akshay. Back the dog.

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