Chris Kirk fought off a tightly knitted field to take home the first even of the PGA Tour season by winning The Sentry over in Hawaii.
Kirk carded a stunning 29 under-par to just about see off the resurgent Sahith Theegala and give him his sixth win on the PGA Tour since he turned pro and his second in the space of a year.
The 38-year-old’s win capped off an enthralling event which saw Sungjae Im break the record for birdies in a 72-hole round by nailing a superb 34 in total.
But in the end, it was Kirk who held on the for the big W and the Knoxville native shared some interesting information about his off-course work in his post-tournament press conference.
Chris Kirk shares what’s helped him play better golf after winning The Sentry
Speaking in his press conference after the round, Kirk spoke on a number of issues he’s had to battle with outside of Golf.
However, when it came to fitness and preparation, Kirk revealed that he’s been spending plenty of time in the gym, which he feels is feeding into his actual game.
“I spent more time in the gym in September, October, November and December than I have. That was the hardest I have gone in working on my fitness level in years, maybe ever. That was a big thing. I think the thing for me is that the harder I work at that and the stronger and fitter I feel that carries over for a lot of things,” Kirk said.
Kirk’s fast start to the season will raise eyebrows across the PGA world, with the next tournament – The Sony Open this weekend – next on the list.
Once again, Rory McIlroy will not take part as he’s over in Dubai taking part in the inaugural Dubai Invitational.
With a big name like that once again missing, Kirk might fancy making it two from two.
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