{"id":45543,"date":"2024-01-09T00:45:07","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T00:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/late-birdie-lifts-kirk-to-pga-victory-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-01-09T00:45:07","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T00:45:07","slug":"late-birdie-lifts-kirk-to-pga-victory-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/late-birdie-lifts-kirk-to-pga-victory-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Late birdie lifts Kirk to PGA victory | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nLOS ANGELES:
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Chris Kirk’s eighth birdie of the day at the 17th lifted him to a one-stroke win over Sahith Theegala in the US PGA Tour Sentry tournament at Kapalua in Hawaii on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Kirk’s eight-under-par 65 gave him a 29-under total of 263 on the par-73 Plantation course, where he started the day with a one-stroke lead.<\/p>\n

He had pushed the advantage to two strokes with five front-nine birdies.<\/p>\n

But Theegala’s run of four straight birdies from the 13th through the 16th had seen him take the solo lead before Kirk responded at the par-five 15th — where he had a 12-foot eagle chance but settled for a birdie.<\/p>\n

Theegala, who had 10 birdies in his 10-under par 63, was in the clubhouse on 28-under 264 when Kirk birdied 17, landing his 206-yard second shot two and a half feet from the pin.<\/p>\n

“That one on 17 I’ll remember for a long time,” said Kirk, whose par at the par-five 18th was plenty to claim a sixth PGA Tour title.<\/p>\n

Kirk had qualified for the elite season-opening event — open to last year’s tournament winners and the top 50 in the FedEx Cup — with a victory last year at the Honda Classic, where he ended a near eight-year title drought.<\/p>\n

“It’s unreal,” Kirk said. “It’s just so unexpected. I had a really great off-season and I got a lot of good work done and felt good about the year, but you never really expect to go shoot 29-under.<\/p>\n

“It’s unbelievable — still kind of soaking it in,” he said.<\/p>\n

Theegala, who won his maiden title in Napa, California, in September, started the day three back and started applying pressure early.<\/p>\n

He birdied four in a row from the second through the fifth and added birdies at nine and 11 before his four-birdie burst on the back nine.<\/p>\n

He missed the green at the 17th, and while he rolled in a nine-foot par-saving putt he couldn’t take advantage of the par-five 18th.<\/p>\n

On another low-scoring day, three-time major winner Jordan Spieth was tied for the lead at 27-under through 15 holes, but a tough lie near the lip of a fairway bunker at 16 led to a bogey and his eight-under par 65 left him alone in third on 265.<\/p>\n

Stung by his inability to take advantage of birdie chances at the fifth and sixth, Spieth birdied five in a row from the seventh through the 11th before back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15.<\/p>\n

Spieth admitted that he would have expected an eight-under round would be good enough to at least get in a playoff.<\/p>\n

“There was just some phenomenal golf played everywhere,” he said.<\/p>\n

South Korea’s An Byeong-hun carded a 66 for solo fourth on 266.<\/p>\n

Compatriot Im Sung-jae headed a group on 267 after a 10-under 63 that included 11 birdies and gave him 34 birdies for the week — the most ever in a 72 hole PGA Tour event.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n