Tag: PGA Tour Courage Award

Chris Kirk named winner of 2023 PGA Tour Courage Award

Kirk, 38, took a leave of absence in 2019 to address alcohol abuse and depression.

On Tuesday, the PGA Tour named Chris Kirk as the recipient of the 2023 Courage Award.

Kirk, 38, took a leave of absence in 2019 to address alcohol abuse and depression. After being gone more than six months, Kirk returned, regained exempt status in 2021 through a major medical extension, and then this year won his first PGA Tour title since 2015 at the Honda Classic.

“The PGA Tour Courage Award is reserved for very special circumstances and equally special people, and Chris’ impact on the game of golf goes way beyond the singular focus of numbers on a scorecard,” Commissioner Jay Monahan said. “Professional athletes have an incredible platform to help others, and Chris’ honesty, candor and courage in speaking publicly about dealing with a very personal situation has inspired so many people with everyday struggles.”

Monahan presented Kirk with the Courage Award on Tuesday at The RSM Classic, with this year’s event marking the 10-year anniversary of his 2013 RSM Classic victory.

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. Kirk is the sixth recipient of the Courage Award, which was established in 2012, joining Erik Compton (2013), Jarrod Lyle (2015), Gene Sauers (2017), Morgan Hoffmann (2020) and D.J. Gregory (2022).

The Courage Award includes a contribution of $25,000 by the Tour to a charity of the award recipient’s choice. RSM US LLP, the title sponsor of this week’s RSM Classic and a partner of Kirk’s since 2018, will match the contribution.

During the 2018-19 season, Kirk played in 17 events, with his final start of the campaign coming at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans during the last week in April. On May 7, 2019, the day before his 34th birthday, Kirk posted a statement to his social media accounts:

I have dealt with alcohol abuse and depression for some time now. I thought I could control it, but after multiple relapses I have come to realize that I can’t fix this on my own. I will be taking an indefinite leave from the PGA TOUR to deal with these issues. I don’t know when I will be back, but for now I need my full focus on being the man my family deserves. Thank you for your support.

In 2014, Kirk had two firsts and five top 10s and earned more than $4.8 million. His world ranking peaked at No. 16 and he made the President’s Cup in 2015.

But slowly, his game started a decline. So many nights sitting alone in hotel rooms were destroying his life.

“I was definitely to the point where I knew that I couldn’t keep going the way that I was going,” he told the Palm Beach Post. “My golf game didn’t matter a whole lot to me one way or the other at that point.”

Tuesday’s announcement comes on the four-year anniversary of Kirk’s return to competition following his time away from competitive golf, the first round of the 2019 World Wide Technology Championship.

He has qualified for the BMW Championship in each of the last three seasons and in 2023, broke through for a playoff victory over Eric Cole at The Honda Classic. He finished the 2022-23 season No. 32 in the FedExCup standings, the second-highest finish of his 13-year career on Tour and the highest since he finished No. 2 in 2014.

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D.J. Gregory, who was born with cerebral palsy and has walked over 42,000 holes at PGA Tour events, honored with Courage Award

D.J. Gregory has walked over 14,000 miles at PGA Tour events and has raised over $1 million for charity.

D.J. Gregory was never supposed to walk. When he was an infant, doctors told his parents that he was most likely bound for a life in a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy.

They were wrong.

Gregory battled through multiple surgeries and learned to walk with the help of a cane. At the age of 12, Gregory fell in love with the game of golf and the rest, you could say, is history.

In the later part of 2019, Gregory started his Walking For Kids Foundation which allows PGA Tour players and fans of the sport to donate to children’s charities.

Recently, the foundation passed $1 million raised in total.

On Tuesday, the PGA Tour honored Gregory with the PGA Tour Courage Award during a surprise ceremony at the WM Phoenix Open.

“D.J. has endeared himself to countless fans, players, staff, and tournaments for over a decade on the PGA Tour and is a tremendous example of perseverance and courage,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Our players have embraced D.J. over the years and continue to be motivated by his dedication to the Walking For Kids Foundation. We couldn’t be prouder of the impact he has made and the many lives he has touched in a positive way.”

Gregory is the fifth recipient of the award and first non-member of the PGA Tour to be honored.

Since 2008, Gregory has walked over 14,000 miles and 42,000 holes at PGA Tour events.

During the award ceremony at TPC Scottsdale, Monahan announced that the PGA Tour would make a $25,000 donation to Walking For Kids. Waste Management then followed suit, as did Jon Rahm. Gregory will be walking with the World No. 1 throughout the week in Scottsdale. The two were together last summer at Torrey Pines when Rahm won the U.S. Open.

If you’re interested in learning more about Gregory and his story, ESPN released an E:60 profile on him back in 2008.

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