Kirk settles in at Sea Island

When Chris Kirk arrives in the Golden Isles of Georgia for The RSM Classic each fall, he expects to play well. And for good reason. The University of Georgia alum won the event’s 2013 iteration by a stroke, kick-starting a memorable 2013-14 campaign that saw him also win the Deutsche Bank Championship and finish second in the FedExCup. Kirk also lived near Sea Island Golf Club for approximately six and a half years, allowing him to grow comfortable in the southeast Georgia community and get to know Sea Island’s Seaside and Plantation courses, home to The RSM Classic. The 32-year-old missed the cut at last year’s event despite rounds of 69-69, and he arrived in 2017 ready to make amends. Through one of four competition rounds, that script has held up, as Kirk fired a 9-under 63 on Thursday at the Plantation track, capped off by an eagle putt from off the green at the par-5 18th hole. Kirk has won four times on TOUR, but not since the 2015 Dean & DeLuca Invitational. He’d like nothing more than to find his way into the winner’s circle as he readies for the TOUR’s holiday break. “It was fun seeing all of those putts going in,� said Kirk of an opening round where he hit 11 of 14 fairways, 14 of 18 greens, and needed just 23 putts. “That’s kind of what I’ve struggled with over the past year, and why I haven’t had the results I’ve come to expect. So to have a day like today … hopefully I can make a bunch more of them.� Kirk now lives in Athens, Georgia – home of his alma mater Bulldogs – and sported the Georgia logo on his hat as he navigated Sea Island on Thursday. Despite an up-and-down 2016-17 season that saw Kirk finish No. 92 in the FedExCup, he remains energized by raising a young family – the newest member, third son Wilder, was born just over three months ago. “Thankfully I have a great wife, that’s for sure … she keeps all of us in line, all three of the boys and me,� Kirk said after the opening round. “This is the first golf trip where they’ve all been able to come. We’ve really been having a great time. My parents are here as well, so couldn’t be better.� The only thing that could make it better, perhaps, would be a second trophy in the Sunday gloaming at Sea Island. OBSERVATIONS HOMETOWN HERO. This year marks the eighth iteration of The RSM Classic, and the fans are still waiting for a current Golden Isles resident to win the event. University of Georgia alum Hudson Swafford would love to play a role in changing that, and he’s in strong position after an opening round of 7-under 65 that included five birdies and an eagle on the Plantation course. After signing his scorecard, Swafford offered his theory about the advantages and disadvantages of this unique type of home game in the close-knit St. Simons Island community. “It’s tough; there’s a lot more going on,� Swafford said. “You’re kind of out of your routine when you’re at home. It’s nice to sleep in your own bed, don’t get me wrong – we don’t do that very much – but a lot more friends and family in town, and everybody kind of wants to hang out. There are a lot more distractions in a home game, but you can take it two ways … you can just go with the flow, or you can let it wear on you.� So far, it appears that Swafford is going with the flow.    NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR DAHMEN. After finishing No. 176 in last season’s FedExCup standings, University of Washington alum Joel Dahmen earned back PGA TOUR membership via the Web.com Tour Finals, and arrived in Sea Island fresh off his first top-25 of the season (T23) at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. The cancer survivor continued the good vibe on Thursday at the Plantation course, closing with two straight birdies to post 8-under 64, the second-lowest score of the day only to Kirk. This marks Dahmen’s second TOUR season, and he’s excited to apply lessons learned over the past year into a strong 2017-18 campaign. “Being out here last year helped a lot,� Dahmen said after the opening round. “I was kind of a deer in the headlights, honestly, for the first half of the year. Seeing the courses, just being familiar out here is a huge thing. I only played nine holes of practice rounds this week; I just felt like my game’s in pretty good shape.� A well-rested Dahmen could be a force this weekend. SNEDEKER MAKES HIS RETURN. Brandt Snedeker posted an opening-round, 3-under 67 at Seaside in his first competitive round since the Travelers Championship in June. The 36-year-old had been sidelined by a rare sternum joint injury. (How rare? Snedeker visited 15 doctors, and not one had seen the injury in a golfer.) He opted for rest rather than surgery, didn’t touch a club for nine weeks, and has adopted a new workout routine and diet that discourages sugar and carbs. It hasn’t been easy, but the game appears just fine, as the Vanderbilt alum hit all 14 fairways and made just one bogey on Thursday. TWO-COURSE SETUP. The RSM Classic marks the first event of 2017-18 to employ a two-course setup; the third and fourth rounds will both be contested solely on the Seaside layout. The par-70 Seaside track played to a yardage of 6,884 yards on Thursday, yielding a stroke average of 69.372. The par-72 Plantation layout, which measures 7,058 yards, produced a scoring average of 70.156. Fifteen of the top 17 players on the leaderboard navigated the Plantation course in the opening round, with Nick Watney and Brice Garnett (5-under 65) signing for the lowest totals at Seaside. NOTABLES BRIAN GAY – The 45-year-old posted a 7-under 65 at the Plantation course, as he strives to become the third player over 40 (Pat Perez, Ryan Armour) to earn a PGA TOUR title this season. Gay holds four TOUR victories, most recently the 2013 CareerBuilder Challenge. BEN SILVERMAN – The Canadian stands T8 after a bogey-free, 5-under 67 at the Plantation course. The TOUR rookie eyes to follow a similar script as fellow Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, who won last year’s The RSM Classic in a playoff. Hughes won last year’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper on the Web.com Tour, and Silverman did the same in 2017. PATTON KIZZIRE – The St. Simons resident Patton Kizzire thrilled the local fans with a hole-out eagle at Seaside’s par-4 10th on Thursday, en route to an opening, 4-under 66. The Auburn alum eyes back-to-back victories after breaking through for his maiden TOUR title at last week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba. CHESSON HADLEY – A day after being named 2017 Web.com Tour Player of the Year in a ceremony at Sea Island GC, Georgia Tech alum Chesson Hadley opened in 3-under 67 at the Seaside course, as he eyes a fourth top-4 finish in his fifth start of the 2017-18 TOUR season. QUOTABLES “It’s big Georgia territory out here on St. Simons, for sure, so hopefully my hat will bring me luck the rest of the week.� – Leader Chris Kirk, a University of Georgia alum, who eyes his fifth PGA TOUR title this week in his former hometown. “If you’re not in top form, it will definitely bite you in the butt.� – Jason Kokrak, who stands T3 after a 7-under 65 on the Plantation course, on the challenge presented by the winds at Sea Island GC. SUPERLATIVES Low round: Chris Kirk opened in 9-under 63 at Plantation, his low round of the season by four shots. Longest putt: Veteran Ernie Els went deep on his opening hole Thursday, draining a 45-foot, 11-inch putt on the par-4 10th at Seaside. Longest drive: Newly minted professional Cameron Champ, a Texas A&M alum, hit a 354-yard drive on Seaside’s par-5 15th hole. Fewest putts: Chris Kirk and Vaughn Taylor each needed just 23 putts to navigate the Plantation course, one fewer than Aaron Baddeley, Tyler Duncan and Jonathan Randolph. Hardest hole: The par-3 third hole at Seaside played to a stroke average of 3.244. Only three birdies were recorded on the day. Easiest hole: The par-5 15th hole at Seaside played to an average of 4.346, with three eagles and 49 birdies recorded.

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