Chris Kirk waited nearly eight years to win a PGA Tour event again. Waiting one more hole on Sunday was no problem.
Kirk stuck his approach to the par-5 18th to tap-in range, and his birdie on the first hole of a playoff lifted him past Eric Cole for the victory at the Honda Classic on Sunday.
Cole had a chance, playing his third shot from the sand to just outside of 10 feet for a birdie that would have extended the playoff. But it lipped out, and Kirk nudged his ball in for his fifth career win — his first since prevailing at Colonial in 2015.
“I was obviously very, very nervous today having not won in so long,” Kirk said. “Coming down the stretch, I felt good.”
And he’ll be the last Honda winner. The car company is ending its title sponsorship of the event after 42 years, with a new sponsor set to be in place — the PGA Tour hopes, anyway — in the coming weeks.
They finished 72 holes tied at 14-under 266, Kirk shooting 69 on Sunday, Cole shooting 67.
Kirk earned $1,512,000 for the win, and is now eligible to play the Masters again for the first time since 2016. Cole earned $915,600 for the runner-up finish, a check that more than doubles what the 34-year-old has earned in 14 previous tour starts.
Kirk went to the par-5 18th with a one-shot lead. His tee shot found the fairway. His second shot found the water, leading to bogey. Cole made par, giving Kirk new life in the playoff.
“Bad swing at the wrong time. ... Thank God it worked out,” Kirk said.
Kirk hadn’t held a trophy since 2015. That’s not to say he hasn’t done any winning in that span.
He walked away from the game in May 2019 because of alcoholism and depression. He struggled with anxiety, struggled to deal with pressure, even though he had a penchant for making it seem like no big deal on the golf course — he was a four-time winner, plus made a big putt to help the U.S. win the Presidents Cup at South Korea in 2015.
The tour gave him a major medical extension for the time he missed, meaning he had a set number of tournaments to do well enough to regain his full status. He got it back by the slimmest of margins at the Sony Open in 2021.
And now he’s a champion again.
“I just have so much to be thankful for,” Kirk said. “I’m so grateful for my sobriety, I’m so grateful for my family, I’m so grateful for everyone that has supported throughout the past three or four years.”
Tyler Duncan, ranked No. 360 in the world coming into the week, shot 66 on Sunday and was third at 12 under. Monday qualifier Ryan Gerard, playing the weekend for the first time on the PGA Tour, shot 67 and finished fourth at 10 under.
— TIM REYNOLDS
Jack Nicklaus thinks the Honda Classic should have a chance at a stronger field because of looming changes to the PGA Tour, which he said Sunday would mean Pebble Beach getting elevated status and the tour going to Mexico before the Florida swing.
Nicklaus, appearing at the final round Sunday at PGA National, said a reworked schedule in 2024 will give South Florida’s lone tour event — by whatever name it will be known — a chance at attracting higher-ranked players.
None of the top 17 players in the world ranking played Honda this week.
Nicklaus said the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational at Riviera will be elevated tournaments next year with $20 million purses, while the WM Phoenix Open would lose that status.
This year, the tour had two elevated events before the Honda, with two more to immediately follow at Bay Hill and The Players Championship.
Honda is ending its title sponsorship of the tournament at PGA National, but Nicklaus said the event will remain the start of the Florida swing in 2024.
“Next year’s schedule are Pebble and LA are their elevated tournaments,” Nicklaus said. “Phoenix is not. Then they go to Mexico, then they come here. So, we will have players next year. And then they’ve got Bay Hill and Players. The tournament’s going to be just fine.”
The PGA Tour is in the middle of revamping its 2024 schedule, including the size of fields and eligibility, as it responds to the threat of Saudi-funded LIV Golf. A 2024 schedule is not expected to be announced until the summer.
Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, make their home near PGA National and have deep charitable ties to the tournament. The event has raised millions for the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation.
“This town has supported this event without having a great field,” Nicklaus said.
Many of the tour’s top players have skipped Honda in recent years even though some of them live just a short drive from PGA National. But Nicklaus has never lobbied players to play the event and said he won’t change that policy.
“I don’t do that. I don’t do it for the Memorial Tournament. I don’t do it for any tournament,” Nicklaus said. “I didn’t like when people did it to me. If you’re going to play, you’re going to play. If you’re not going to play, you’re not going to play.”
English (United States) ·