“I hope it stays with me forever” – Chris Kirk reacts to being referred to as the guy who overcame alcoholism

Chris Kirk has said that he is okay with always being referred to as someone who overcame alcoholism, even though it sometimes overshadows discussions of his game when he performs well. However, he added that his battle to get sober was an important part of his life, and he hopes it stays with him forever.

The 36-year-old American shot 65 in the fourth round to win the Sentry 2024 on Sunday, January 7. This was his second PGA Tour win in the past year and the sixth overall in his career.

A few years ago, Kirk was dealing with a severe alcohol problem. The struggle took so much toll on him that he had to take an indefinite hiatus from golf in May 2019, citing his struggles with depression and alcoholism. He came sober later that year and made his return to the golf course.

However, since his return, whether it's his Korn Ferry Tour win in 2020, his Honda Classic win last year, or the recent victory at the Sentry this Sunday, whenever Kirk has excelled, the mention of his journey battling alcoholism has consistently taken precedence over the talk of his game and skills.

Nevertheless, Kirk is okay with it. Speaking at the post-round interview on Sunday, he dedicated all his success to his sobriety. He said:

"I hope it stays with me forever. It's a huge part of my life still now and definitely the best thing that I've ever done in my life is to get sober. So I don't feel like it's taking away from anything that I'm accomplishing.

"It's 100% the reason why I'm able to do what I do. There would be my PGA Tour career would have been over a while ago had I not gotten sober. And so I'm fine with that, it's staying with me for till the day I die."

He added that he didn't consider keeping his journey of battling alcoholism and becoming sober private, stating that being open about it publicly was beneficial. He continued:

"I live a decent amount of my life sort of in the public view, somewhat anyways, and so, you know, the biggest thing for me was waking up every morning and looking at myself in the mirror and knowing that I've got nothing to hide, and I can be proud of who I am.

"So, I didn't feel like that was really going to be quite as possible if I was not open about it."

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How many titles has Chris Kirk won?

Chris Kirk has won six titles on the PGA Tour. His first win came at the 2011 Viking Classic after beating George McNeill and Tom Pernice Jr. by one stroke.

Here are all the titles won by Kirk so far:

1. July 17, 2011 - Viking Classic
2. Nov 10, 2013 - McGladrey Classic
3. September 1, 2014 - Deutsche Bank Championship
4. May 24, 2015 - Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
5. Feb 26, 2023 - The Honda Classic
6. Jan 7, 2024 - The Sentry