THE SENTRY

January 6, 2024

Chris Kirk

Plantation Course at Kapalua

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you assess the day?

CHRIS KIRK: A little bit of a slow start, for sure. Those firsthand full of holes with the wind direction and how strong it was are actually playing really difficult. We've had relatively calm winds, then pretty breezy today. So No. 2, with that wind hard off the left, it's tough to hold that green.

Then 3 and 4 are playing really long into the wind, just makes it a little bit tough. But I played through that stretch.

Then you get into 5, 6, 7, some of those holes where you can take advantage of, and played really great the rest of the way.

Q. You talk about taking advantage of maybe some of the easier holes, obviously 15's one of those, but you hit a drive into the woods, but you make the 20-footer off the green for par. When you left that green was it relief, was it kind of I let one slip away, what were your thoughts when you left that green?

CHRIS KIRK: Definitely relief. I didn't hit that awful of a drive, I just didn't adjust for the strength of wind as much as I needed to, compared to the line I was taking the last few days. I only hit it barely right, but with that wind blowing so hard over the left it just took it over there. But, yeah, to make that one after a nice run of birdies before that definitely kept the momentum going.

Q. What does it mean to be in this position and I guess especially after ending a long, winless drought do you look at 54-hole leads differently maybe than before?

CHRIS KIRK: Not really. It's really, I mean, it sounds dumb and cliche, but you just got to go do your thing. I may go play great tomorrow, and somebody may play a little bit better. There's only so much control you have over that. So, you just kind of stay with your process and just go do it. But it is always strange like after having a pretty good bit of time off at home and it's been cold and haven't been practicing a whole lot, you kind of don't expect to come out and go play great. It's fun just to be here and enjoy Hawaii and be able to make some nice free swings in this warm weather. I always loved coming here.

Q. Is there a part of the game that's maybe been a pleasant surprise coming out of the offseason?

CHRIS KIRK: I felt happy with where my swing was. Just being able to, just having not played that much competitive golf for the last three or four months, you just don't really know if you're going to be able to kind of be efficient. I think that's the big difference at this level. There are thousands of players that are as good or close to as good as we are, but the guys who play really well on TOUR are just very efficient, and just manage their games really well, and turn 5 into 4 and 4 into 3, you just kind of do that. So, to be able to come out here and play some good golf and play efficient golf, definitely putted a lot better today than I have the first two days, which was a nice surprise always. Hoping to just keep that momentum going tomorrow.

Q. There's so much movement on the back nine especially here, like you said, does that make it especially important to stick with that process, because there's guys going to be moving around all over around you?

CHRIS KIRK: You certainly can't protect anything out here, that's for sure. Yeah, no doubt. When it's a shoot-out like this and the scores are really low you just stay aggressive and just go do your thing.