Chris Kirk (-29) had an extraordinary weight on his shoulders this Sunday. He started as the leader of the most evenly matched and tight The Sentry in history, with 15 players less than five strokes ready to star in one of those already mythical comebacks that this tournament always generously allows. Well, the 38-year-old American veteran has solved the problem with an iron hand and has taken the victory with a golf exhibition. It is the sixth victory of his career on the PGA Tour. He may not have the glamour and fame of others, but Kirk is a true winner.
It was not made easy for him. The playing conditions today have been more affordable and the scorecards have been falling like hotcakes. So much so that he had to sign a result of eight under par in the final round to conquer the victory. He did it with that peace that he always transmits on the field, playing easy golf, without making mistakes, without the need for heroic shots or epic putts. It was more like a steamroller. Slow, but sure. Finally, he won with a one-stroke advantage over Sahith Theegala (-28), two over Jordan Spieth (-27) and three over Byeong Hun An (-26).
The start of the Sunday round was fabulous. The pack went out to hunt Kirk and did so aggressively. One by one they presented their candidacy for victory… Whether it was Spieth, Theegala, Schauffele, Day, Harman, Sungaje Im, Scheffler… The birdies were falling in cascade and The Sentry has turned into a wonderful chaos. In the first two hours of play, it was impossible to accurately determine which players were going to dispute the tournament. The possibilities were endless. The only common denominator is that Kirk never gave up the lead. Power and composure.
As usually happens in these chaotic final rounds, the panorama has gradually been defined. Some have tightened and others have deflated. Bhatia has suffered today the pressure of seeing himself in a big tournament up and he has not come out anything. Scheffler has been punished again by his putter. An erratic start at 8 has condemned Day. Schauffele has putted even worse than Scheffler, which is saying something… Finally, the tournament has been a thing of three: Kirk, Theegala and Spieth.
As it could not be otherwise, it was resolved in the last holes. Spieth got off the winning train at hole 16. He missed the bunker exit and the stars joined against him to eliminate him. The ball was unplayable, sunk and stuck to the slope. He had to take a lateral and made a bogey that wiped him out. On the other hand, Theegala, the most serious candidacy of the day, with an aggressive and powerful game and a round of ten under par, left the victory at hole 18. After saving a great par at 17, he needed the birdie at the last hole, an affordable par 5, but he missed a three-meter putt to finish with -29 and put more pressure on his rival.
https://ten-golf.com/en/major-circuits/pga-tour/how-the-millionaire-prize-purse-of-the-sentry-2024-is-distributed/
On the contrary, Kirk hit the shot of the day when the pressure was highest. He played a textbook hole 17. He hit a sensational drive and a fabulous second shot, the shot of the day, from 190 meters to two palms. That’s how you close a tournament. This birdie allowed him to go out with a one-stroke advantage to 18 and he played easy to make par.
Kirk started his career on the PGA Tour in 2011, his rookie year. He won that same season and repeated in 2013, 2014 and 2015, when he became the Number 16 in the world. Later, personal problems with alcohol took him away from his best version, but he overcame them in 2019 and now it seems that he is back on track. We will see where he goes, but Kirk is no anecdote. He won the Honda Classic in 2023 and now he has taken the first of the year.
