Chris Kirk Thanks God And His Sobriety In Powerful Moment Following Honda Classic Win

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Chris Kirk won The Honda Classic on Sunday for his first victory in almost eight years. He earned the win by holding off Eric Cole in a playoff, and while it was undoubtedly a challenge to find the winner's circle, Kirk took on a different, far more meaningful battle nearly four years ago.

In May 2019, Kirk announced that he was taking an indefinite leave from golf to deal with his alcohol and depression issues. While Kirk says that he never drank before or during a round in a tournament, but would have to "drink the right amount" at night to feel normal the next day.

He admitted that after briefly quitting drinking in 2018, he relapsed which led to issues with his wife.

After a six-month hiatus from the PGA Tour in 2019, and 2,836 days between wins, Kirk got the job done on one of the hardest courses on Tour.

Following what was his fifth win on Tour and a $1.5 million payday, Kirk thanked God and his sobriety in what was a powerful moment.

“I owe everything that I have in my entire life to my sobriety,” Kirk said following his win. “I wouldn't be doing this 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 were 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 (sobriety).”

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With his win at the Honda, Kirk earned a spot in this year's Masters, which will be his first appearance at Augusta National since 2016.

It's safe to say he'll certainly be soaking up that moment with his three sons in April.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.