Chris Kirk was having a strong round Thursday when he reached the par-3 14th hole, the most difficult hole on the course. Kirk had already recorded five birdies and was leading the leaderboard at 5 under par early in the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
But his rounds will improve soon.
Kirk pulled out his 6-iron and ace’d the tee shot, which he said was his ninth hole-in-one and his fourth overall on the PGA Tour.
With the pin on the right side of the green, about six steps above the water, Kirk began to hit the ball right-to-left across the penalty area on this tricky 205-yard par 3. Then his ball bounced back toward the flag, then bounced a few times, then went right-to-left. fell to the bottom of the cup.
“It’s an uncomfortable shot for a guy who likes to hit it right to left.”
*Two hops to get an ace.*
Yes, Chris Kirk, it’s been fun watching him get off to a hot start in Memphis.
pic.twitter.com/W8MB1EL82w— Jack Mirko (@jack_milko) August 15, 2024
“I think the adjusted number was 200 or 201. It was a little bit down the hill, the wind was kind of coming out of the right, so it was a 6-iron for me, which is perfect in this heat,” Kirk explained.
“I’m normally around 196 or 197 with a 6-iron. This week with the heat, everything’s going a few yards further, so those are great numbers. There’s water on the right side so I was looking a little left of that, but as soon as I hit it, it was right where I wanted it, contact-wise. I looked up and it started a little right but it was pulled right back. Yeah, that’s a nice bonus.”
He quickly got up to seven under and held a sizable lead into the final few holes before bogeying the par-four 18th hole with his driver into a fairway bunker to finish with a six-under 64.
Kirk left the golf course one stroke ahead of playing partner Taylor Pendrith and Frenchman Mathieu Pabon.
“We did our best and it was just a really good day overall,” Kirk said.
Indeed, the six-time PGA Tour winner delivered a solid performance in the Memphis heat, which felt like more than 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
“I tend to play better in really warm temperatures, and I’m not sure why that is,” Kirk said.
“Being from Georgia and living in the South, I feel at home here and I really like the golf course.”
As of this writing, half the contestants have yet to finish their rounds, so only time will tell if Kirk ends up coming out on top, but no matter where he sits, he’s in prime position to compete for the win again this weekend.
He will begin the second round on Friday at 12:40pm ET.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
