Chris Kirk claimed a one-shot victory in the PGA Tour's opening Signature Event of the season; Sahith Theegala claimed second while Jordan Spieth finished in third; Sungjae Im broke the PGA Tour's 72-hole birdie record and Justin Rose equalled the course record on low-scoring day
Monday 8 January 2024 07:48, UK
Chris Kirk held off a congested leaderboard to begin his PGA Tour season with a victory after an impressive one-shot win at The Sentry in Hawaii.
Kirk took a one-shot lead into the final day at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, where calm conditions resulted in the field delivering the lowest scoring average (66.67) since PGA Tour records began.
The American fired five birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the front nine before picking up further shots at the 11th and 15th, before a sensational birdie at the par-four 17th helped him on his way to a sixth PGA Tour title.
Kirk fired his approach to around two feet and made the putt to move to 29 under, with a par at the last enough to close an eight-under 65 and hold off closest challenger Sahith Theegala.
"It [winning] is so unreal," Kirk said. "It's just so unexpected. 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."
Theegala had charged into contention on the final day after following four birdies in his first five holes with four more in a row from the 13th, briefly putting him one ahead with Kirk still having four holes to play.
Kirk had failed to take advantage of the driveable par-four 14th and was unable to convert a 12-foot eagle try at the par-five next, tapping in for birdie to move to 28 under, while Theegala set the clubhouse target on the same total after missing a 10-foot birdie chance on the par-five last.
Former Masters champion Jordan Spieth - a winner in Kapalua in 2016 - had also temporarily moved tied for the lead during the final day when he followed five consecutive birdies around the turn by producing back-to-back gains from the 14th.
Spieth's tee shot at the 16th finished plugged in a bunker and led to a costly bogey, with a two-putt birdie at the par-five last seeing him post an eight-under 65 and end the week in third spot on 27 under ahead of Byeong Hun An.
Kirk had squandered a birdie chance on the 16th to regain the lead but made amends on the par-four next, switching from a seven to a five-iron to fire a sensation shot to within tap-in range, with that birdie helping him secure a second PGA Tour victory in as many seasons.
The American previously won the Honda Classic last February to end an eight-year drought between PGA Tour victories, his first since taking a leaving of absence from the PGA Tour in 2019 to address alcoholism and mental health issues.
"Definitely the best thing that I've ever done in my life is to get sober," Kirk added. "It's a hundred percent the reason why I'm able to do what I do. I've said that a lot, but my PGA Tour career would have been over a while ago had I not gotten sober."
Sungjae Im's 34 birdies during the week set a PGA Tour record for the most in a 72-hole tournament, breaking the total set by Jon Rahm the previous year, with the Korean sharing fifth spot with Collin Morikawa, J.T Poston, Brian Harman and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Jason Day and Xander Schauffele shared tenth place, while England's Justin Rose equalled the course record after registering 12 birdies in a brilliant bogey-free 61 on the par-73 layout.
The PGA Tour stays in Hawaii for the Sony Open, where Si Woo Kim returns as defending champion for the first full-field event of the season and Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton are among the English players in action.
Watch the Sony Open in Hawaii throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live early coverage begins on Thursday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from midnight. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more on NOW.
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