MAUI, Hawaii — Georgia men’s golf alum Chris Kirk won The Sentry with a 29-under, 263, winning his sixth major and becoming the first former Bulldog to win the event since Harris English did so in 2021.
Kirk shot 67-65-66-65 to win the event by one stroke. Four former Georgia golfers finished in the top 15 of the event, including Brian Harman tied for fifth, Sepp Straka tied for 11th and English tied for 13th.
“I’m so happy for Chris,” head coach Chris Haack said. “Anytime you win on the PGA TOUR, it’s a huge accomplishment because it’s so hard to do. It was a great week for Chris and all six of our Bulldogs out there representing the G well to begin this season. It was made even more special by getting to hear Kevin Kisner in the booth commentating the event. It was a great week to be a Bulldog.”
Kirk stood two strokes back of the lead after the second round at 14-under. He made his jump to the top of the leaderboards on day three, taking the solo lead heading into the final day after shooting four birdies on the final seven holes. Heading into the 17th hole, Kirk was tied for the lead with Sahith Theegala. He created separation by hitting his five-iron 209 yards and left his birdie putt just two feet and six inches away from the hole to reclaim the solo lead and the event title.
The 2006 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, Kirk now ranks third among former Georgia golfers with six PGA Tour titles. He trails just Bubba Watson with 14 and English with seven. Kirk has also won the 2011 Viking Classic, The McGladrey Classic in 2013, the 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship, the 2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and The Honda Classic in 2023.
Kirk was named the recipient of the PGA TOUR Courage Award on Nov. 14, 2023. The PGA TOUR Courage Award is presented to a person who, through courage and perseverance, has overcome extraordinary adversity, such as personal tragedy or debilitating injury or illness, to make a significant and meaningful contribution to the game of golf.
Harman’s t-fifth finish at 25-under is his 26th top-five finish of his career, most recently also finishing tied for fifth at the BMW Championship in Aug. 2023.
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