After two years of near-misses, hard travel miles, and falling down the world rankings, Kitayama reminded the golf world that he’s still a force to be reckoned with—and when he gets hot, he can burn a course to the ground.
That’s exactly what he did at TPC Twin Cities. Coming off a jaw-dropping third-round 60, Kitayama went nuclear out of the gate Sunday with six birdies in his first eight holes. It was the kind of start that makes your playing partners nervous and the crowd start murmuring: “Is this really happening again?” Yes. Yes, it was.
Despite a few hiccups down the stretch, the 32-year-old held on, finishing the weekend 18-under in his final two rounds and 23-under overall to win the 3M Open by one shot over Sam Stevens. He became the first player since 2003 to notch 20 birdies over the final 36 holes of a PGA Tour win.
Vintage Fire, Modern Struggles
But let’s not pretend the win came easy. Kitayama’s week wasn’t some robotic display of precision. He ranked 56th in the field in driving accuracy—he hit just 60% of fairways—and the putter almost let him down again with a three-putt on 17. But every time the walls started to shake, he found a way to punch through.
That included a clutch birdie on the par-4 14th from a fairway bunker that he flagged to two feet. And on 18, when he left himself a nasty bunker lie with a one-shot lead? He got the job done. Barely—but it counts.
“I knew if I just got it on the green, it would roll out,” Kitayama said. “That was kind of the thought process.”
That calm, calculated mindset might’ve been the difference. The thing is, this wasn’t just another Tour stop for Kitayama. This was a resurrection.
A Long, Winding Road Back
After Kitayama’s breakout win at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational was a big slide in rankings. From World No. 19 to No. 97. He missed out on defending his Bay Hill title earlier this year. His ball-striking disappeared. His confidence followed.
But this week in Minnesota? That version of Kitayama was back—and maybe even better. “Last year, I felt like I hit it really well and the putting kind of let me down,” he said. “Now it’s starting to feel a lot better… I’m starting to see some results.”
He’s not wrong. He walked off TPC Twin Cities with $1.5 million, a two-year Tour exemption, and a FedExCup rocket ship ride from No. 110 to 53. He’s now firmly in the playoff mix.
From the Global Grind to PGA Glory
It’s hard not to root for a guy like Kitayama. His path to the PGA Tour wasn’t glamorous. He grinded in Asia, Canada, Africa, and Europe, chasing starts and learning how to compete. When he finally got his Tour card for the 2021-22 season, it was already a victory. Now? He’s got two wins. And Sunday’s might have been the sweetest of them all.
From a forgotten man outside the top 100 to the final man standing in Minnesota, Kurt Kitayama’s comeback is no longer a story in progress.
