MADISON (AFP) -Chris Kirk became the fifth rookie to win this season taking advantage of soft greens and fairways to capture the PGA Tour's Viking Classic on Sunday. The 26-year-old Kirk fired a closing four-under 68 to finish at 22-under 266 and a one shot win over American compatriots Tom Pernice and George McNeill. It was the first PGA win for Clark who joined Jhonattan Vegas, Charl Schwartzel, Brendan Steele and Keegan Bradley as rookie winners. He has won twice on the lower level Nationwide Tour this year. "It's amazing," Kirk said. "It's something I've been working on for a long, long time, and to get it here was a little bit extra special. "After the tournament being nice enough to give me a sponsor exemption for me to make my pro debut in 2007 a week after I turned professional, I haven't been back since then. So to be back here now and get my first win here in the same place where I had my pro debut is pretty cool." He hit a 140-yard approach over water to within five feet of the hole for an easy birdie putt to break the deadlock with McNeill on the 17th hole. "People sometimes make more of it than what it is," Kirk said. "It was 140 yards and it was a nine iron, so I was aiming right at the pin and nowhere else. That was my only thought." Bud Cauley (67), Hunter Haas (68) and Jim Renner (68) shared fourth at 20- under 268. Kirk played his first PGA Tour event at the Viking Classic four years ago, but he missed the cut. "It's pretty amazing to think back to then, how far I've come from," Kirk said. "My game isn't that much better than it was then, but just the comfort level that I have now to be able to go out for 18 today and feel one hundred percent comfortable in my own skin." The 51-year-old Pernice was seeking to become the second-oldest winner in tour history but came up short. He missed a key birdie putt on No. 18. "It's nice to stay in contention all week and to have a chance on the back nine," said Pernice. "I had a chance on 18. The hardest part, I had a good wedge into that pin, and I had a pretty good putt to look at it.