The Punter's De-Brief: Veterans win again on both major tours

Steven Rawlings
27 February 2023
4 min read

Chris Kirk with the Honda Classic trophy

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Chris Kirk has won on the PGA Tour for the first time in eight years and Marcel Siem is back in the winner's enclosure after a break of nine years. Our man looks back at their victories here...

Kirk heading to Augusta for the US Masters
Cole comes close to glory
A German one-two in India
Read my Arnold Palmer Invitational preview here
Read my Puerto Rico Open preview here

Pre-event 44.043/1 chance, Chris Kirk, led the Honda Classic by two strokes with a round to go and he was well-supported before the off on Sunday, hardening up from 2.26/5 to around even money by the time he arrived at the course.

The 2022 runner-up, Shane Lowry, had been fancied to put in a charge from four back on Sunday but he was always up against it after a bogey at the opening hole and it was the pre-event 170.0169/1 shot, Eric Cole, who was matched for a few pounds at as high as 570.0569/1 when the market first opened, that emerged as the big danger.

Although he hadn't won on the PGA Tour before, the Korn Ferry graduate had plenty of experience having won an incredible 56 times on the Minor League Golf Tour and with a red-hot putter, he soon put that experience to good use. After three birdies in-a-row from the third hole, he and Kirk were tied at the top.

Having found water with his approach, Cole holed from 20 feet to avoid a double-bogey at the sixth but the gap was back to two strokes again when Kirk holed a bomb on the par four eighth.

The 37-year-old, who was in search of his fifth PGA Tour title but his first in eight years, was matched at just 1.282/7 as they turned for home but Cole deserves plenty of credit for the way he fought back on the back-nine.

Cole birdied the 11th from 13 feet to half the deficit and he was matched at 1.695/7 after a two-shot swing on the 13th saw the 34-year-old hit the front but it wasn't long before the tide turned again.

After Cole had bogeyed the 15th, after failing to get out of the greenside bunker with his second shot, Kirk holed another lengthy putt for birdie at the 17th to lead again with a hole to play but the drama still hadn't ended.

Having been matched at just 1.21/5 following a fine drive on the par five 18th with his one stroke advantage, Kirk inexplicably went at the dangerous pin with second and it looked like he'd blown it!

Winning is hard.

Leading by one, Chris Kirk's approach finds the water on 18 @TheHondaClassic. pic.twitter.com/8cZvdpT5LR
? PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 26, 2023

With Kirk in the water, Cole was matched at just 1.271/4 but he failed to make the birdie four required for the win and once Kirk had holed out for his bogey six, we were into extra time.

Cole went long odds-on again when Kirk's drive finished behind a tree in the rough but Cole missed the green with his second shot, finding a tricky spot in the back bunker, before Kirk produced this gem of an approach with his third.

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

Cole hit a fine bunker shot to around 12 feet but his birdie putt lipped out and Kirk was left to tap in for the title.

Kirk's victory earns him a spot in the US Masters where world number one, Jon Rahm, still heads the market.

Over on the DP World Tour, Germany's Yannik Paul led the Hero Indian Open by five strokes at halfway and he was still in front with a round to go, although his advantage had been cut to just a stroke over fellow German, Marcel Siem.

Pre-event 25.024/1 shot, Paul, who had been trading at odds-on on Friday morning, was trading at around even money going into round four but he was caught by Siem when the pre-event 50.049/1 shot birdied the par five fourth and he caught an outrageous break on the eighth hole to match Paul's birdie four.

There looked to be a big splash after he'd hit his second to the par five eighth and I don't think anyone watching could quite believe the on-course commentator, Anthony Wall, when he said he hadn't found the water.

The splash must have been caused by a fish because his ball had held up on the bank, right where the splash occurred, and he was able to produce this piece of magic to keep tabs with Paul.

Take a bow, @SiemMarcel #HIO2023 pic.twitter.com/cR2kLi0yrK
? DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 26, 2023

Pre-event 24.023/1 shot, Joost Luiten, who was matched at a low of 3.02/1, tried to keep in touch but he could never quite get to the Germans and when Siem made back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11, it looked like we might be in for a sedate finish but there was still one last twist in the tale when we witnessed a two-shot swing at the 13th when Paul made a birdie three and Siem a bogey five.

Marcel Siem wins in India.jpg

Siem edged ahead again with a birdie four at the 15th and Paul, who had been matched at a low of 1.618/13, just couldn't respond. The pair parred their way in after that and Siem went on to win by a stroke.

It was the popular 42-year-olds five DP World Tour win but his first since 2014.

The DP World Tour takes a break this week but we've got two events on the PGA Tour to make up for it. There's a stella line-up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which I've previewed here and there's a winner to be found at the Puerto Rico Open, which I've looked at here.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter

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