“I owe everything that I have in my entire life to my sobriety” - When Chris Kirk opened up about his brave battle with alcoholism 

Chris Kirk has started the season in style, as he is the surprising leader of The Sentry 2024 after the first 54 holes. The last year-and-a-half has been a chance for him to rediscover his best golf after a much greater struggle than the courses. "I owe everything that I have in my entire life to my sobriety," Kirk described it.

The Atlanta, Georgia native earned his fifth PGA Tour victory in 2023 (The Honda Classic), his first in nearly eight years. At the time, he explained to the press what a struggle it had been for him to overcome his alcoholism.

This was part of what Chris Kirk said, according to CNN:

"I owe everything that I have in my entire life to my sobriety I wouldn’t be doing this [playing golf] for a living anymore. I probably wouldn’t have the family that I have currently anymore. I came really close to losing everything that I cared about.

"For that to have happened and worked out for me, obviously there was some decisions that I made, but mostly the grace of God and a lot of other people that really helped me along the way.

"It’s something that’s constantly on my mind, so it’s pretty easy for me to see that winning the Honda Classic is kind of a bonus when literally every good thing I have in my life I owe to that."

Chris Kirk revealed his alcoholism problems in May 2019, at the same time announcing that he was taking an indefinite time out for treatment. He returned several months later with a visible (positive) change in his fitness.

Chris Kirk made his professional debut in 2007 and joined the PGA Tour in 2011. That same year he won his first victory at that level. He subsequently won two tournaments in the 2013-2014 season and again in 2015. The Honda Classic was his first win after recovering from alcoholism.

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Chris Kirk at The Sentry 2024

The 2024 edition is Chris Kirk's fifth appearance at The Sentry (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, when the tournament was sponsored by Hyundai). Kirk has always finished in the Top 25 and his best result came in 2012, when he finished T7.

After the first 54 holes at the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort, Kirk is leading the leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Akshay Bhatia. The leader carded three rounds of 67, 65 and 66.

Kirk has been in great form, with only one bogey in the first three rounds, committed on the third hole of the third round. In contrast, he made 22 birdies, with spectacular streaks of five consecutive on the back nine on Friday and four consecutive on the front nine on Saturday.