SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 12, 2023

Chris Kirk

Waialae Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Just to start, sounded like the putter was going well today. Just talk about your round.

CHRIS KIRK: Sure, yeah. Definitely was a really good, solid day start to finish. Right around the turn, started on No. 10 and made a few decent putts, eight-footers, something like that, but then made the turn and made probably just inside 15 feet on 1; probably 25 or so, maybe 30 feet on 2; and then another 12, 13-footer on 3.

So that was a nice run of those three in a row, those putts going in for four birdies in a row after birdieing 18.

Yeah, it is solid all around day with a really nice little hot streak in the middle.

Q. How do you spend your off time since RSM? Was that the last time you played?

CHRIS KIRK: Uh-huh. Practiced and played a little bit whenever I could. Normal day was drop my boys off at school, and hired a new trainer this year, Jake Crane. Actually has a baseball background, and it's been a lot of fun for me. I have been accused of liking baseball more that golf, so we get in there and work out and play a little ping-pong and I'll pitch some or turn on a hitting machine.

When the weather is good enough we would go play or practice some golf. Yeah, had a lot of fun. Worked hard, but had a lot of fun as well.

Q. Seemed like you've maybe put on a little bit of muscle; is that fair to say?

CHRIS KIRK: A little. I typically work really hard in the gym between the RSM and here. That's been consistent every year. So I always kind of show up to this tournament feeling good and fit. That's my No. 1 goal this year, is to try to maintain it and work harder in the gym when I'm home in the off weeks.

Q. How hard do you throw?

CHRIS KIRK: Not very, 65 or so. But I just like getting in there and pitching. I can throw a nice curve ball and so two seamer. I wouldn't say I'm very good at it, but I just have a blast doing it.

Q. You mentioned over there that you made equipment changes.

CHRIS KIRK: I did, yes. This is my first week back. I spent some years on staff with Callaway Golf, and wore Travis Matthew Clothing for probably my first nine years on tour. This is my first week back with both of those companies, as a staff player for Callaway Golf, wearing Travis Matthew Clothing. Yeah, definitely been excited about that and excited to get going.

Q. It's been a pretty long time since you had a win. How do you deal with that?

CHRIS KIRK: I don't worry about it too much, to be honest. I know from experience how many things have to go right to win out here. I was really happy that last year I gave myself a couple of kind of outside chances on the back nine Sunday, so that's the first step obviously.

So my real goal is just to try to put myself in position more and more often and just kind of see how that goes.

Q. Is this one of the courses that you feel like fits your game really well?

CHRIS KIRK: For sure. I've had a lot of good finishes here, a couple really close calls to win here in the past. Just a place where I'm comfortable.