This past Sunday, the PGA Tour saw its first event of the 2024 conclude in the form of The Sentry. In a playing field of 59 players, Chris Kirk held his nerve till the end to emerge victorious. While his victory earned him praise, some applauded him for conquering his demons.
Kirk, 38, started off his career in great fashion and he claimed four PGA Tour wins and took part in the 2015 Presidents Cup. After that things took a massive turn and the golfer found himself dealing with depression and alcoholism. By the end of 2019, he was supposed to be done.
The American international though has fought back from this. In 2022, Kirk showcased some of his impressive classics and claimed the Honda Classic title. His victory though saw him answering several questions regarding his alcohol issue rather than his actual win.
The golf star though does not bother himself with this. He would label this fight and criticism as the “best thing” he had done in his life.
It’s a huge part of my life... Definitely, the best thing that I’ve ever done in my life is to get sober... 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. Chris Kirk on his battle against alcohol addiction.
Chris Kirk claims PGA Tour career would have been over had he not gone sober
In the huge realm of sports, several incidents have been reported where a young promising talent has wasted their career for drugs and alcohol. This seemed to be the direction where Chris Kirk’s story was heading too.
The now six-time PGA Tour champion believes his career would have been over had he not gone sober. This could have been a sad ending to a promising career.
In a chat with Associated Press‘ Doug Ferguson, Kirk said:
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. Chris Kirk on battling against alcohol addiction.
Luckily for Kirk, he has been able to come out victorious in this battle. He has now been sober for nearly five years and continues to battle his way towards the top of the world rankings.
Following his win at The Sentry, he bagged $3.6 million from the prize purse. It also opened up the doors of The Masters tournament in April where fans will be eager to see how he will perform.
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