Chris Kirk wins PGA Tour's season-opening The Sentry - ESPN

KAPALUA, Hawaii — Nearly a year after Chris Kirk made it all the way back by winning, he took another big step Sunday with a clutch 5-iron to 2 feet for birdie on the 17th hole that led to an 8-under 65 and a one-shot victory in The Sentry.

It was the third straight year the winner at Kapalua posted a Sunday round of 8 under or better, and Kirk required no less to win the PGA Tour's season opener.

Sahith Theegala and Jordan Spieth each caught up to him on the back nine of another surprisingly calm day.

Theegala missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the par-5 closing hole and shot 63. Spieth, whose tee shot on the 16th plugged under the lip of a bunker and led to a most untimely bogey, missed a 15-foot eagle putt on the 18th and shot 65 to finish a further shot back.

Kirk was tied when he hit 5-iron from 209 yards over the gorge to a right pin, the ball rolling out to just over 2 feet for a tap-in birdie on the toughest hole on the back nine of the Plantation course. That allowed him to play the 18th conservatively, knowing a par would be enough for his sixth career PGA Tour victory.

He finished at 29-under 263 and earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse, the first of eight signature events in the new PGA Tour model of big purses and elite fields.

The 38-year-old from Georgia looks as relaxed as anyone, a good fit for the islands. His greatest win remains his recovery from alcoholism and depression, which led to him stepping away for six months of treatment in 2019.

He won the Honda Classic last year, and the PGA Tour honored him with its «Courage Award» at the end of the season. There was no better way to start the new year.

The victory assures him a spot in the Masters — he was just outside the top 50 in the world at