FILE PHOTO: Apr 27, 2019; Avondale, LA, USA; Chris Kirk tees off from the 9th hole tee box during the third round of the Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2019
(Reuters) – Four-times PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk is taking an indefinite leave from professional golf to deal with depression and alcohol abuse.
Kirk, whose last win came in 2015 at the Colonial tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, has struggled on the course for most of this year, with only one top-20 finish.
“I have dealt with alcohol abuse and depression for some time now,” he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
“I thought I could control it, but after multiple relapses I have come to realize that I can’t fix this on my own.
“I will be taking an indefinite leave from the PGA Tour to deal with these issues. I don’t know when I will be back.”
Kirk, who turns 34 on Wednesday, was ranked as high as 16th in the world in 2015.
He is currently ranked 188th in the world.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
