Kurt Kitayama's birdie barrage leads to 2025 3M Open victory

On a sweltering hot and humid Sunday in Blaine, Minnesota, Kurt Kitayama was even hotter than the temperature. 

The 32-year-old pro from Chico, California, tied the TPC Twin Cities course record with an 11-under 60 on Saturday and picked up where he left off at the start of Sunday’s final round. Trailing by one stroke entering the last day, Kitayama birdied five of the first six holes and toured the front nine in 29 to build a three-stroke lead. With his older brother filling in on the bag, Kitayama hung on to shoot 65 for a one-stroke victory over Sam Stevens at the 2025 3M Open.  

"This win's going to be extra special having him on the bag," Kitayama said. "Very cool experience and really happy he's part of it."

Kitayama carded 20 birdies on the weekend, the most birdies or better made on the weekend by a Tour winner since 2003, and finished with a 72-hole total of 23-under 261 for his second PGA Tour title.

Kitayama opened with a 65 but barely made the cut after shooting even-par 71 on Friday when he lacked control of his ball flight. He rushed to the range, hit some balls and talked to his coach, Chris Como. “Felt like I found something that I could go with,” he said. 

Did he ever. Kitayama made his move on Moving Day with a career-low round of 60 that was five strokes better than his previous best score this season. On Sunday, he remained red hot and his iron game was as sharp as cheddar. He stuffed a wedge inside a foot from 120 yards at No. 2, chipped in from 23 feet at No. 3 and stuffed another wedge to a foot at No. 5. He made 17 birdies in a span of 24 holes and tacked on another at the 201-yard par-3 eighth hole, sticking his tee shot to 4 feet.

"It was video-game golf," said PGA Tour Radio's Dennis Paulson.

For the weekend, he torched the front nine in a cumulative 13-under in the final two rounds after playing that nine in 1-under in the first two rounds.

The back nine had its share of stressful moments. Kitayama had a hiccup at No. 11, bogeying the par 4 after tugging his drive into trouble. His lead was reduced to two over Jake Knapp, who finished in a tie for third with Matt Wallace (64) and Pierceson Coody (67). But Kitayama bounced back with a birdie at 12 and then lifted a 7-iron from the right fairway bunker to 2 feet at No. 14. 

“Shot of the day,” CBS’s Ian Baker-Finch exclaimed.

Indeed, it was and he brushed in the putt to get to 24 under. All told, he made 32 total birdies, tying for the third-most in a 72-hole event on Tour since 1983. Stevens charged home in 31 and Kitayama's advantage was cut to one when he made a bogey at 17. But he had enough cushion to make a par at the last and hang on for the win over Stevens, who closed in 66.

For the second week in a row, Kitayama had his brother, Daniel, filling in on the bag. Kitayama's former caddie, Tim Tucker, split with him after a T-5 at the John Deere Classic. In need of someone to close out the year, he called on big brother, who knows his game best and had been on the bag for a pair of victories on the DP World Tour before. Kitayama first started playing golf at age 5, tagging along after his older brother, who would go on to play college golf at Hawaii-Hilo and has always been in his younger brother's corner, especially as they tried to close out victory.  

"He helped me stay calm out there, make good decisions, and yeah, just helps having family on the bag," Kurt said.

Kitayama entered the week with just two top-10 finishes in 18 starts this season, and was mired in 110th place in the FedEx Cup season-long standings. With the 3M Open as the penultimate event of the Tour's regular season, Kitayama picked a good time to dial in his iron game, ranking first in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (9.666). He improved to No. 53 and is safely in the top 70 to qualify for the first playoff event.

"I've been pretty far out this entire year, and with only two events left, I just keep looking to improve and try and make my way in. Lucky I was able to get the win and that jumped me up huge," he said.