The 38-year-old has been on a renaissance after overcoming alcohol abuse and depression in 2019 and returning to the winner’s circle in 2023 after almost eight years – and was recently recognised with the PGA Tour’s 2023 Courage Award at the end of last year.
It could seem unfair to Kirk that his accomplishments now and in the future will be overshadowed by what happened in the past. Kirk, however, sees it differently.
For all the jockeying for position over 72 holes at Olympia Fields Country Club, for all the drama as players moved in and out of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup points standings, only one player – Matt Fitzpatrick – was able to play his way into the Tour Championship.
While the 90-minute gathering was poorly attended and little new information was delivered, several players agreed that it was simply good to see the PGA Tour commissioner back at work.
Kirk made a big decision pay off – barely – by fending off rookie and local favourite Eric Cole for his first PGA Tour title in nearly eight years.
Despite the trouble guarding so many of the greens at PGA National’s Champion course, Kirk managed to hit 54 of 72 greens to rank T-7 for the week, while posting a strokes gained/approach mark of 7.643 strokes gained on the field to rank second.