Chris Kirk carded a final round 69 to reach 14-under as did PGA Tour rookie Eric Cole playing alongside him in the final group who carded a 67.
14-under is the lowest winning score since the tournament moved to PGA National in 2007. The previous low was 13-under (Camilo Villegas, 2010)
Kirk birdied the first extra hole to win his fifth PGA Tour title, his first since he won the Charles Schwab Challenge 7 years, 9 months and 2 days previously. His victory earned him a spot in the Masters later this year.
GOLF SHOT.
@Chris_Kirk_ nearly holes out for eagle and will have a tap-in birdie @TheHondaClassic.
Eric Cole will have to get up-and-down from a green side bunker to force another playoff hole. pic.twitter.com/46OSaUhL9M
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 26, 2023
“I just fought really, really hard today. I didn’t play my absolute best, but I never gave up. I heard Paul Azinger say he watched a highlight of me yesterday, and he said I looked like an emotionless robot, and I loved that. I absolutely loved it. I said today, I’m going to be an emotionless robot and I’m going to go stick to my guns and play aggressive and try to do the best I can.
“I came into this week at 47th in the world golf ranking, and that’s usually not something I care a whole lot about, but I have not played the Masters since 2016, I think, and growing up in Georgia, that kind of means everything to me. So I’ve been watching that World Ranking closely, trying to stay in the top 50.
“But to take care of it this week, that’s going to be something that’s incredibly special.”
This was his 40th career top-10 on the PGA Tour, his third top-five this season and he has now converted three of his six 54 hole leads or co-leads into wins (2011 Sanderson Farms Championship, 2013 RSM Classic, 2023 Honda Classic).
The wait is over, @Chris_Kirk_ 🏆 pic.twitter.com/QpbvpGrqD3
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 27, 2023
Cole earned his best finish on Tour in his fifteen starts so far and his first top-10.
“I’m a little disappointed. Obviously I wanted to win, but I didn’t have my best game today, especially ball-striking, and I hung in there pretty tough, and I was proud of that.”
Tyler Duncan carded a 66 to finish third at 12-under, his first top-10 since winning the 2019 RSM Classic.
Ryan Gerard (67) finished fourth at 10-under and became the first Open Qualifier to finish in the top five of a PGA Tour event since Doc Redman at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic (2nd). His top-10 finish earned him a spot in next week’s Puerto Rico Open.
Ben Martin scored a final round 68 for a share of fifth place at 9-under alongside last year‘s winner Sepp Straka (68) of Austria as well as England‘s Ben Taylor (70) and last year’s runner-up Shane Lowry (70) of Ireland.
