About the only people who know Chris Kirk from Captain Kirk are those who play fantasy golf. And they are well aware that this guy can go crazy low at any point in a tournament.
During Friday’s second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, the third-year PGA Tour pro broke his own career low by one stroke by shooting an 8-under 62 to move from a tie for 27th to a tie for fifth with Tim Clark and Charles Howell III.
Four times in his two-year career, this University of Georgia alum shot a 63, including at the 2012 Deutsche Bank Championship en route to a tie for 35th. What he’s had a little more trouble doing is backing up that low round well enough to remain in contention through Sunday.
Kirk has one win, at the Viking Classic in 2011, and a runner-up finish at the Shell Open that same year. His best finish in 2012 was a tie for fourth at the Canadian Open.
His one win took him to Kapalua last year, where he opened with a ho-hum 75, but was 16 under the rest of the way en route to a tie for seventh in the elite winners-only Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
Like many of the younger players on tour, this 27-year-old has got game. He eagled both of the par-5s in Friday’s bogey-free round to move within two shots of the lead held by rookie Scott Henley.
"Making two eagles like that in one round is something that doesn’t happen very often," Kirk said. "So, it’s always a surprise when you’re able to do that, especially having a couple virtual tap-ins for eagles, which was very nice. I didn’t hit a ton of great iron shots, but it seemed like my good ones all ended up really close and I was able to make some putts."
Kirk’s two-day total of 10-under 130 is eye-opening, but his stats from tee to green weren’t. He hit only six of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens, but for the second day in a row, he needed only 26 putts. That can cure a lot of ills in a hurry.
He’s also made a recent switch with his equipment, adding Callaway wedges and now the driver, which he said has made a world of difference.
"The driver I’m hitting they made for me pretty early on in the fall, and that was kind of the reason why I was so tempted to change now," Kirk said. "Titleist has been great to me over my entire career and I love their equipment, but this Callaway driver that I’m hitting; I just have loved it. The way I’ve driven the ball this week (despite the missed fairways), golf has been pretty easy from there."
As for playing on the weekend against the likes of tour rookies Henley and Russell Langley, who are atop the leaderboard, nothing surprises Kirk, these days.
"I’ve known Russell for a while and I know he’s a very confident player and a very good player," Kirk said of his fellow Georgia Bulldog. "Not too much of a surprise to me there. I don’t know Scott personally, but any time you come out your first round as a PGA Tour member and shoot a 62 is pretty darn impressive."
