PGA Honda Classic 2023 Winner: Results, leaderboard and purse distribution explored

Chris Kirk entered the final day of the 2023 PGA Honda Classic with a very slim lead. At the end of the day, he did not even hold a lead at all. He finished in a tie with Eric Cole, which prompted a playoff with the latter.

Kirk and Cole dueled it out in the playoff, which ended with Kirk one shot ahead of his competitor. Though both golfers ended up at -14, Kirk took home the victory after a well-fought playoff round.

Here's how the final standings turned out, plus the prize money and more.

Chris Kirk tops Honda Classic leaderboard for 2023

Chris Kirk landed atop the Honda Classic leaderboard, which will only help his overall OWGR ranking. He is currently ranked 32nd in the world, just behind Sahith Theegala and Tom Hoge.

Here's how the standings turned out, plus who earned what as a result:

Winner: Chris Kirk, -14, $1,512,000
P-2: Eric Cole, -14, $915,600
3: Tyler Duncan, -12, $579,600
4: Ryan Gerard, -10, $411,600
T-5: Ben Martin, -9, $288,120
T-5: Sepp Straka, -9, $288,120
T-5: Justin Suh, -9, $288,120
T-5: Shane Lowry, -9, $288,120
T-5: Ben Taylor, -9, $288,120
T-10: Dylan Wu, -8, $220,500
T-10: David Lingmerth, -8, $220,500
T-12: Zach Johnson, -7, $186,900
T-12: Cameron Percy, -7, $186,900
T-14: Brandon Wu, -6, $136,500
T-14: Jim Herman, -6, $136,500
T-14: Stephen Jaeger, -6, $136,500
T-14: Lee Hodges, -6, $136,500
T-14: Adrian Meronk, -6, $136,500
T-14: Ryan Brehm, -6, $136,500
T-14: Kramer Hickok, -6, $136,500

It was a well-fought tournament, which resulted in the epic playoff to end it all.

Kirk said via News10:

“I was obviously very, very nervous today having not won in so long. Coming down the stretch, I felt good. I just have so much to be thankful for. I’m so grateful for my sobriety, I’m so grateful for my family, I’m so grateful for everyone that has supported throughout the past three or four years.”

Kirk hadn't won a PGA Tour event in eight years, so this was an absolutely monumental occasion for the golfer.

Eric Cole nearly extended the playoff, but his shot lipped out and ultimately gave Kirk his first win in almost a decade.

Jack Nicklaus expects better Honda Classic field next year

Jack Nicklaus wasn't impressed with the field for the Honda Classic, but he does expect it to improve next year.

Nicklaus said via ESPN:

"Next year's schedule are Pebble and LA are their elevated tournaments. Phoenix is not. Then they go to Mexico, then they come here. So, we will have players next year. And then they've got Bay Hill and Players. The tournament's going to be just fine."

He also added that it wouldn't be because he asked them to join. He doesn't do that and believes golfers will come of their own accord:

"I don't do that. I don't do it for the Memorial Tournament. I don't do it for any tournament. I didn't like when people did it to me. If you're going to play, you're going to play. If you're not going to play, you're not going to play."

Time will tell if he's right or not.