DETROIT — Chris Kirk’s past has been well-documented — the four-time PGA Tour winner slipped into a cycle of anxiety and alcoholism, forcing him to take a three-month hiatus from the game in the summer of 2019.
After dealing with his issues and getting into a different headspace, the University of Georgia product assumed he’d jump back into the game and build on past successes.
That’s not exactly how it played out. Kirk missed five straight cuts leading into March, breaking 70 just once during that stretch as his game was floundering.
That’s when the coronavirus pandemic broke out, and Kirk was one of the few who had taken a lengthy break in recent years. It was different, but not wildly uncomfortable for him, especially since he’d already reorganized his life to put family first.
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When the season resumed, Kirk snapped his skid of missed cuts, making it to the weekend at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, but a 75 on Sunday dropped him back to a T-60.
The following week, Kirk was the first alternate for the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Instead, he decided to play in the Korn Ferry Tour’s King & Bear Classic, marking the first time he’d played on the minor tour in a decade.
The experience was exactly what Kirk needed. He battled with Justin Lower at World Golf Village, knocking in a birdie on the 72nd hole to claim his first title of any kind in five years.
“It just gave me a little bit more belief. I think that before that, I knew that I was playing well, but obviously wasn’t seeing much in the way of results,” Kirk said. “But I was happy with my golf swing and felt like I was working on the right things with my putting, but nothing can replace the confidence you get from shooting some low numbers and playing well when it counts.”
That confidence was on display during the opening round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, as Kirk rolled his way to a 5-under par 67, putting him in solid position to not only make the cut, but make some noise this weekend.
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The native of Knoxville, Tennessee — who won the Knoxville News Sentinel Open on the then-Nationwide Tour in 2010 — opened Thursday’s round with a three-putt, but rebounded with an eagle on No. 14. He then fired birdies on Nos. 15, 17, 3, 4 and 5 (he started on the back) en route to his lowest round on Tour in almost eight months.
“I’m really happy with the way I drove it, hit a lot of good shots. A couple loose ones here and there, but overall really good,” he said. “I think my three-putting the first hole from like 15 feet probably woke me up a little bit and I was just really steady, a lot of good shots, holed some nice putts.”
Although Kirk was pleased with his opening round in Detroit, he’s realistic moving forward. Nate Lashley won this event last year by posting an impressive 25-under par, but with little wind or inclement weather in the forecast, the number to win this year will likely be something similar.
Still, Kirk is happy to be in the hunt, feeling like he has the game — and the confidence — to get back in the winner’s circle. And he’s taken to the Donald Ross design at Detroit Golf Club.
“This is just an awesome golf course. I wasn’t here last year, but yeah, from the first time going out there, it’s just such a beautiful, classic golf course, really fun greens,” Kirk said. “I just really enjoyed playing. I played well on Tuesday and I was able to keep it going today.”
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