Chris Kirk fired a 7-under 66 on Saturday at Kapalua’s Plantation Course, giving him a one-shot lead at The Sentry and very little margin for error heading into the final round of the PGA TOUR’s season opening. Kirk two-putted for birdie from just short of the 18th green.
Even with a stronger trade wind, low scores on Kapalua’s Plantation Course have become the norm. This year is different in that there are more guys that have a shot.
This includes Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele, two previous winners at Kapalua, as well as 21-year-old Akshay Bhatia, who is playing on the PGA TOUR for the first time.
Additionally, it still features the top player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, who had to settle for a 71 after struggling to make many putts. Scheffler was now just three points behind.
Kirk returned to Kapalua for the first time in eight years, and he was at 21-under 198 (67-65-66). After taking a significant break from the game for the majority of 2019 to battle with alcoholism and depression , he was awarded the PGA TOUR’s Courage Award in 2023 and went on to win the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches the same year.
He embarks on what seems like a mountainside sprint at the beginning of the new year.
“You can’t defend anything out here, that much is evident. You just have to stay aggressive and keep going after your shot when there are so few points in a shootout like this.” Kirk said.
Bhatia, who won the Barracuda Championship and earned a spot on the PGA TOUR after finishing second at the Puerto Rico Open, took just 27 putts for the second consecutive day. On the 667-yard last hole, his lone mistake was a three-putt from 60 feet for par. He finished with a 66.
Schauffele (65), who rallied for victory at Kapalua five years ago with a closing 62, and Spieth (67), who won by eight strokes there in 2016, were among the group two shots behind. Then Byeong Hun An (68) joined them.
Schauffele and Spieth are procedure veterans. Whatever the score, most leads are not safe, especially with a dramatic final stretch of par 5s and a reachable par 4.
“Keep your head down, please. On a property such as this, there’s really little use checking out a leaderboard early on.” Schauffele said.
On the reachable 14th, one of the trickiest shots in golf, Spieth made a birdie from a bunker about 40 yards short of the flag. He then closed with a 6-iron into the green for a two-putt birdie.
He’s been in Kapalua for ten years now, so he knows how the scoring works. Aim for a few of birdies before the action begins on the reachable par-4 14th hole and also avoid making bogeys on the harder courses.
“Then it’s a sprint and you have to see who can make four of the last five. It appears to be the case, and it most likely will remain so tomorrow.” he said.
That was Kirk’s Saturday plan, minus one detail. On the 15th par-5 hole, he misjudged the wind and mishit his tee shot, going too much to the right and into the bushes. After receiving a penalty drop, he had to lay up just short of the elevated green. He then hit the wedge a touch too hard, landing on the fringe facing a putt downwind, somewhat sloping, and facing the wind.
Despite breaking his run of three consecutive birdies with a par putt, he felt confident despite the setback.
“Maintaining the momentum with that one after a good run of birdies earlier was obviously helpful.” Kirk said.
Scheffler never really gained much traction. At the easiest hole at Kapalua, the par-5 fifth, he made his first birdie. However, he made a 3-putt bogey on the 7th hole and another bogey on the par-3 8th after hitting into a bunker below the green.
On the 18th hole, Scheffler concluded with a three-putt par from slightly less than forty feet. The good news was that Sahith Theegala (68), Jason Day (67), and Harris English (64), were all just three shots behind the lead.
When Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay were added, 12 players were within four shots of the lead. This was not like the previous year, when Morikawa led by six shots going into the last round but came in second.
Sunday is now anyone’s game.
“Anything can happen in the back nine. In the last round of the 2021 year, I recall having a rough start but picking up steam on the back nine and playing pretty well in the closing holes. Some of that patience, I believe, will come in handy tomorrow.” English said.
