Viking Classic on the PGA Tour concludes with another rookie Chris Kirk making it to the top
The Viking Classic on the PGA Tour culminated on Sunday, July 17, with another Rookie, Chris Kirk climbing to the top of the $3.6-million event. One of the oldest events in continuation on the PGA Tour, Viking Classic was played at the Annandale Golf Course,
which has received 4.5 inches of rain for the last two weeks.
The turf was left soaked and drenched in heavy precipitation and the greens were rendered soft. The course organizers were seen draining out the puddles of water from the fairways and the PGA Tour also allowed the players to pick up their balls and wipe
them off before putting.
Kirk, who has been playing on and off on the tour for a while, was eyeing a victory since the beginning of the current season. Starting off the final round with a one-shot lead, Kirk managed to stay clear of the field for the whole 18 holes and carded a
final round of four, under, 68 to lift his maiden title on the tour.
The American amassed a massive 22-under on the aggregate to win the title with an overwhelming three-shot lead. He maintained his composure throughout the final round to never give up the lead. Kirk's most fabled shot came at the 17th hole where
he used a 9-iron to smash a bold shot for 140-yards, just five feet from the pin. He walked away with the sixth birdie of his round and dropped just two shots on his way to the summit.
"People sometimes make more of it than what it is," Kirk said. "It was 140 yards and it was a 9-iron, so I was aiming right at the pin and nowhere else. That was my only thought."
The 26-year-old has been coming out of a strong season, making 11 out of 21 cuts and posting four Top-10 finishes in the year, staying atop of all the rookies on the tour. He is also the fifth rookie on the tour who has clinched a title in the year, after
Jhonattan Vegas winning the Bob Hope Classic, Charl Schwartzel winning the Masters, Brendan Steele winning the Valero Texas Open, and Keegan Bradley winning the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
Tom Pernice Jr. and George McNeill finished for a joint second, trailing Kirk by one shot. Three players were tied for the fourth slot including Hunter Haas, Bud Cauley and Jim Renner, two shots behind the lead.
Chez Reavie, the one-round-wonder of the John Deere Classic of this season, who had opened up his bid with strong rounds of 66 and 68, fell in for a 71 in the final round to settle for the joint 16th.
The tournament had a slashed purse due to the Open Championship being played adjacent to the event at Royal St. George’s and the FedEx Cup points were also reduced to 250. Kirk collected his winner’s prize cheque of $648,000 of the $3.6-million purse and
will retain his tour card for the rest of the season.
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