After 7 years, 9 months, 2 days, Chris Kirk is a champ again

Chris Kirk - TheGolfingHub
With the Honda Classic win, Chris Kirk recorded his 40th career top-10 on the PGA TOUR and third top-five this season (3rd/Sony Open in Hawaii, T3/The American Express, Won/Honda Classic). Photo: Sky Sports

Chris Kirk (Winner/-14) earned his fifth career PGA TOUR victory at the Honda Classic in his 311th start at the age of 37 years, 9 months, 18 days.

This is his first victory since the 2015 Charles Schwab Challenge, snapping a winless drought of 7 years, 9 months, 2 days (179th start since).

Related: With birdie-birdie finish, Ben An stays in the hunt at Honda Classic

Kirk has five PGA TOUR wins (5): 2011 Sanderson Farms Championship, 2013 RSM Classic, 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2015 Charles Schwab Challenge, 2023 Honda Classic.

 

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Moves to No. 6 in the FedExCup standings and No. 32 in the Official World Golf Ranking
14-under is the lowest winning score since the tournament moved to PGA National in 2007; previous low: 13-under (Camilo Villegas, 2010).

Is the second-oldest winner on the PGA TOUR this season; oldest: Justin Rose, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (42 years, 6 months, 7 days).

 

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Improved to 3-for-6 with the 54-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR (wins: 2011 Sanderson Farms Championship, 2013 RSM Classic, 2023 Honda Classic).

Recorded his 40th career top-10 on the PGA TOUR and third top-five this season (3rd/Sony Open in Hawaii, T3/The American Express, Won/Honda Classic).

With his runner-up to Kirk in the playoff, PGA TOUR rookie Eric Cole earned the best finish of his PGA TOUR career (15th start) and first career top-10; Cole moves to No. 33 in the FedExCup standings.

 

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Tyler Duncan finished solo-third, his first top-10 on TOUR since winning the 2019 RSM Classic.

Ryan Gerard (4th/-10) became the first Open Qualifier to finish in the top five of a PGA TOUR event since Doc Redman at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic (2nd); earned a spot in next week’s Puerto Rico Open via his top-10 finish.

 

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Defending champion Sepp Straka finished T5, becoming the fourth player to finish top-five in a title defence this season, joining Max Homa (Won/Fortinet Championship), Rory McIlroy (Won/THE CJ CUP in South Carolina) and Scottie Scheffler (Won/WM Phoenix Open).

2022 runner-up Shane Lowry earns his second consecutive top-five at The Honda Classic (T5).