HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA - APRIL 18: Chris Kirk plays his shot from the eighth tee during the first round of the 2019 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links on April 18, 2019 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Lecka/Getty Images)Tyler Lecka/Getty Images

PGA Golfer Chris Kirk Takes Leave of Absence to Treat Alcohol Abuse, Depression

Joseph ZuckerMay 7, 2019

Chris Kirk is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the PGA Tour, citing personal issues with alcohol addiction and depression.

Kirk released a statement on Twitter Tuesday regarding the matter. He also noted his 34th birthday is Wednesday:

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Kirk is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, his most recent victory coming at the 2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

He finished the 2014 season in 20th place in the World Golf Ranking, his highest year-end position to date and then 51st in 2015.

Since 2015, Kirk's fortunes have taken a swift dive. The 2017 season was particularly rough as he had 10 missed cuts and one top-10 result in 27 tournaments.

Kirk's decision to step away comes amid a brutal 2019 campaign. Through 17 events, he has 11 missed cuts. He tied for 15th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, which is his best performance of the year.