Chris Kirk, after 8-year wait, wins the Honda Classic

Kirk stuck his approach to the par-5 18th to tap-in range, and his birdie on the first hole of a playoff lifted him past Eric Cole for the victory at the Honda Classic on Sunday.

Cole had a chance, playing his third shot from the sand to just outside of 10 feet for a birdie that would have extended the playoff. But it lipped out, and Kirk nudged his ball in for his fifth career win — his first since prevailing at Colonial in 2015.

“I was obviously very, very nervous today having not won in so long,” Kirk said. “Coming down the stretch, I felt good.”

And he’ll be the last Honda winner. The car company is ending its title sponsorship of the event after 42 years, with a new sponsor set to be in place — the PGA Tour hopes, anyway — in the coming weeks.

They finished 72 holes tied at 14-under 266, Kirk shooting 69 on Sunday, Cole shooting 67.

Kirk earned $1,512,000 for the win, and is now eligible to play the Masters again for the first time since 2016. Cole earned $915,600 for the runner-up finish, a check that more than doubles what the 34-year-old has earned in 14 previous tour starts.

“I loved it. It was a lot of fun,” Cole said. “I can’t wait to get back and do it again. I didn’t have my best stuff today, and I was proud of how hard I fought.”

Kirk went to the par-5 18th with a one-shot lead. His tee shot found the fairway. His second shot found the water, leading to bogey. Cole made par, giving Kirk new life in the playoff.

“Bad swing at the wrong time. … Thank God it worked out,” Kirk said.

Kirk hadn’t held a trophy since 2015. That’s not to say he hasn’t done any winning in that span.

He walked away from the game in May 2019 because of alcoholism and depression. He struggled with anxiety, struggled to deal with pressure, even though he had a penchant for making it seem like no big deal on the golf course — he was a four-time winner, plus made a big putt to help the U.S. win the Presidents Cup at South Korea in 2015.

The tour gave him a major medical extension for the time he missed, meaning he had a set number of tournaments to do well enough to regain his full status. He got it back by the slimmest of margins at the Sony Open in 2021.

And now he’s a champion again.

“I just have so much to be thankful for,” Kirk said. “I’m so grateful for my sobriety, I’m so grateful for my family, I’m so grateful for everyone that has supported throughout the past three or four years.”

Tyler Duncan, ranked No. 360 in the world coming into the week, shot 66 on Sunday and was third at 12 under. Monday qualifier Ryan Gerard, playing the weekend for the first time on the PGA Tour, shot 67 and finished fourth at 10 under.

Gerard’s career earnings on tour went from $0 to $411,600. His plans for the next few weeks might be changing based on this finish.

“I’ve got to go book some flights and hotel rooms, swipe the credit card,” said Gerard, who came into the week ranked 472nd in the world. “We’ll see what happens.”

Defending champion Sepp Straka (68) was in a group tied for ninth at 9 under, with all four of his rounds in the 60’s. Also in that group: Shane Lowry, who had a chance to win the Honda last year and finished with an even-par 70.

“I played lovely, and I just couldn’t get it going,” Lowry said.

LIV GOLF: Charles Howell III finally made winning feel easy at Mayakoba when his putter came to life for an 8-under 63 to win the LIV Golf Invitational in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, by four shots for his first title in the Saudi-funded series.

Howell had seven birdies through 10 holes to take control at El Camaleon, and then got some help when Peter Uihlein had to hit three tee shots on the 12th hole in a triple bogey that removed any drama from the final round.

Howell won in his sixth start in LIV Golf and picked up $4 million, with an additional $1 million for leading his Crushers to a nine-shot victory.

LPGA TOUR: Lilia Vu rode a hot putter to claim her maiden LPGA title, closing with an 8-under 64 for a one-shot victory over home favorite Natthakritta Vongtaveelap in the LPGA Thailand.

Vu trailed six six shots going into the final round. The 25-year-old American unleashed eight birdies, including five straight from the eighth hole. She finished at 22-under 266 on the Old Course at Siam Country Club.

Vu became the third American to win the event after Lexi Thompson in 2016 and Jessica Korda in 2018.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Marcel Siem ended his long wait for a fifth European tour title by closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory in the Hero Indian Open in New Delhi.

Siem’s last win on the tour came eight years and 116 days ago at the 2014 BMW Masters in Shanghai. The 42-year-old German had to go through qualifying school in November.