A red-hot weekend propelled 32-year-old Chico native Kurt Kitayama to his second PGA Tour victory at the 3M Open in late July.
Kitayama, who played in NCGA events back in his amateur days, shot a career-best and tournament-record-tying 60 in the third round and followed that up with six birdies on his first eight holes in the final round at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota to edge Sam Stevens by a stroke.
"Getting off to a start like that kind of helps settle you down," Kitayama said. "Final round, second-to-last group, there's definitely some nerves."
Despite the start, there would definitely be tension. On the par-3 17th, Kitayama made bogey for the third straight day, which shrunk his lead to one over Stevens.
Stevens, playing in the group ahead, was unable to make birdie on No.18. But the drama wasn’t over for Kitayama.
Upon playing thepar-5 18th himself, Kitayama pushed his second shot into a greenside bunker, leaving himself a tricky, downhill lie. He’d safely blast to 18 feet and easily two-putt for par, finishing at 23-under 261.
Helping Kitayama navigate it all was his older brother, Daniel, caddying for only the second time this season.
"He helped me stay calm out there, make good decisions," Kitayama said. "It just helps having family on the bag."
Kitayama, who previously won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in 2023, got a 500-point boost in the FedEx Cup standings to move inside the top 70 and secure a spot in the playoffs. He was projected to jump from 110th to 53rd.
Earlier in the round, Kitayama came up with what was another huge save. He hit a 7-iron from a fairway bunker on the par-4 14th to within 2 feet of the hole for the last of his 20 birdies on the weekend, the most in a PGA Tour event since 2003.
