Six-time PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk will look back on his career fondly once he finally calls time on his playing days.
The 39-year-old won his first PGA Tour event in 2011. Thirteen years later, Kirk sealed his sixth title at The Sentry in Hawaii. Other notable victories include the 2023 Honda Classic and the 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship.
Kirk is a player who has withstood the test of time and has experienced the turbulent world of professional golf firsthand.
And ahead of his title defence at the Plantation Course, Kirk discussed the main differences he’s noticed on Tour since turning pro in 2007.
Chris Kirk amazed by what’s happened since Tiger Woods stopped playing regularly
During his pre-tournament press conference at Kapalua, Kirk initially spoke about the level of consistency and agronomy now present on the PGA Tour.
“It’s different in so many ways it’s hard to really sum it up, I guess,” Kirk said.
“The level of play and the consistency of players is really high. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been able to kind of keep up and progress, and I feel like my game is a lot better now than it was 10 years ago when I was also, I was in the top 50 in the world at that time too, and I feel like I’m so much a better player now than I was then, but everybody else is too.
“The golf courses, that’s one thing that I say a lot is that the PGA Tour agronomy is just insane these days. From my first couple years on Tour, I remember there were a couple of places where the greens would maybe be a little thin, or fairways were a little thin, or maybe someplace lost the greens or something. Like, we show up every single week and the golf course is absolutely immaculate every single week. So I don’t know what’s different with PGA Tour agronomy, but they have made some huge advances.”
After Scottie Scheffler earned over $60m in 2024, Kirk also spoke about the enormous financial rewards up for grabs.
“Obviously, we’re playing for a whole lot more money, and I’ve been amazed; I think that a lot of us were kind of worried about what the Tour would be like when Tiger was not out here every single week. I’ve been, you know, really pleasantly surprised, I guess, that the Tour has flourished, and we have a ton of great young stars, and there’s great stories each week.
“So I just am so happy with where — I know there are a lot of things that people want to see changed still, and things that could be better, but professional golf is just in such a great place, I think.”
Tiger Woods still golf’s main attraction
Despite Kirk being pleasantly surprised by how the Tour is fairing without Woods, the 15-time major winner is undoubtedly golf’s biggest attraction.
One only needs to look at the recent PNC Championship, which took place before Christmas. Woods’ appearance in Orlando had the golfing world hooked. The same cannot be said for the LIV Golf vs PGA Tour ‘Showdown’ in Las Vegas.
Professional golf will only benefit if Woods is back at or near his best. Right now, however, it’s unclear when Woods will return to the PGA Tour.
After his outing at the PNC Championship, the Genesis Invitational feels like the most likely return for the 49-year-old. Woods’ most recent back surgery took place in September after he had competed in all four of 2024’s major championships.
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