Chris Kirk struggled with alcoholism and depression – now he won the Honda Classic for his first win on the PGA Tour in seven years

(CNN) It’s been 2,836 days since Chris Kirk last won the PGA Tour. However, after he claimed his first win in more than seven years on Sunday, it wasn’t the first achievement for the United States golfer He had in mind.

A tough tiebreaker victory over compatriot Eric Cole at the Honda Classic in Florida sealed his fifth American title on the PGA Tour, his first since he committed to sobriety nearly four years ago.

“I owe everything I’ve owned in my life to my sobriety,” Kirk told reporters at the PGA National Resort.

“I wouldn’t do this for a living anymore. I probably wouldn’t have the family I currently have anymore. I came really close to losing everything I cared about.”

“For this to happen and work for me, there were obviously some decisions I made, but mostly thanks to God and a lot of other people who have really helped me along the way.

“It’s something that’s constantly on my mind, so it’s very easy for me to see that winning a Honda Classic is some kind of reward when I owe it to everything good in my life.”

“I became sober because of you.”

On the eve of his 34th birthday in May 2019, Kirk announced that he would be taking an “indefinite leave” from golf to deal with his alcoholism and depression.

Kirk added Share on social media.

By that point, his world ranking, which had peaked at No. 16 after his fourth PGA Tour win at the Colonial Championships in 2015, had fallen to No. 188. He failed to make the cut in four consecutive events, missing a total of 11 events over the course of the year. Just 17 events in the 2018-19 PGA Tour season.

The tied finish of No. 15 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational marked Kirk’s top-40 finish of the campaign.

When he returned to the tour at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in November 2019, his rank had fallen further – he was world No. 303 – but Kirk was a rejuvenated man.

a Candid interview With the PGA Tour on the eve of his return, the golfer’s multiple previous failed attempts to give up alcohol have come to light.

Kirk, who said there was a history of alcoholism in his family, added that he gave up beer in late 2017, turning to beats and drinking hard liquors like wine, vodka and bourbon. This switch was a decision to address his increasing weight, but it only served to “accelerate” his alcohol problems.

For Kirk, his openness was simply about personal catharsis. Then, he was startled by the reaction of the others.

“So many people have reached out to me directly and said, ‘I’ve read your story or I’ve heard your story,’ and that made me decide it was time. [to quit],” Kirk said.

“When I first got back into playing and was very open and honest about it, it wasn’t on my mind at all. It was more…for me because I felt like I had this life for a number of years where I was just lying to myself, lying to my family, I hide a lot of things.

“So the honesty of the process I went through to get better felt so good that I had nothing to hide, and so it was the natural thing for me to do.

“But now on the back end a little bit, it’s been cool. Like I said, not something I’ve really seen happen, but to be able to connect with people and … for someone to say, ‘I’m sober because of you, and my life’s changed because of you,'” you can’t. Really describe how unreal that was with words.”

Augusta call

On Sunday, disaster seemed to strike Kirk on the 18th when his second putt cruised into the water hazard to the right of the hole.

The American recovered well, but his subsequent bogey saw him fall in a playoff against Cole, the 34-year-old countryman — ranked 330 in the world before the event — who was chasing his maiden PGA Tour title.

For both players, it was their first experience in a PGA Tour playoff, and for Kirk, it meant returning the hole that had nearly crushed him moments earlier.

Once again, Kirk appeared to be sliding toward a heartbreaking crash when his tee came to rest near a tree. However, an incredible response saw the 37-year-old blaze a 267-yard effort to the green dugout before nearly slashing the eagle’s approach from the sand.

When Cole’s birdie rolls painfully around the lip opening, Kirk takes advantage of the house birdie and wins.

In addition to securing him $1,512,000 in prize money, Sunday’s victory catapults Kirk to 32nd in the world and sixth in the FedEx Cup rankings. Equally kindly, it gives him a place at The Masters in April and the opportunity to take his wife and three sons to Augusta.

“I’ve been watching that rankings very closely, trying to stay in the top 50, but to take care of it this week is going to be something incredibly special,” Kirk said.

“The par-3 competition can’t come so soon. I’m really looking forward to it. The whole week, but just being able to make those memories with my wife and kids is going to be awesome.”

On Thursday, Kirk will be out in Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Celebrating the victory with a Diet Coke alongside friends on Sunday, the eve of the tournament will be Kirk’s first chance to toast his victory with his family.

“There will be a lot of celebrations, and I thank God alcohol won’t be a part of it,” Kirk said.