Kurt Kitayama looked dead and buried Friday after a shaky start hoping he might scrape through the cut. Instead, he struck back in Saturday style with a stunning round of 60, rocket-fueled birdies and eagle stuffing the leaderboard then and there.
Sunday’s finish? A six-under 65 highlighted by six birdies in the first eight holes, enough to build a lead that only shrank briefly at 17. After that, it was a par on 18, a fist pump with his brother on the bag and a two-stroke win at 23-under. Plus 500 FedExCup points for good measure.
The Kitayama Thriller
After a wobbly first round that nearly left him dancing on the cut line, Kitayama responded with tournament-record pace on Saturday, tearing apart TPC Twin Cities with a 60 that lit up every leaderboard. Sunday was a masterclass: a blistering six-under 29 on the front nine built his cushion, and, despite a late bogey on 17, he steadied with a par on 18 for a two-stroke victory. He hoisted the trophy at 23-under, stunned yet composed.
Having his brother Daniel on the bag wasn’t just sentimental, it was strategic.
“He helped me stay calm, make good decisions… family on the bag makes a difference,” he said with quiet conviction.
🥈 The Near-Miss: Sam Stevens
Stevens nearly dragged the drama into a playoff. His birdie rush from holes 14 to 16 threatened to topple the leader, but Kitayama’s lead held firm. Stevens finished just a stroke back and, in the process, powered his way into the FedExCup top 30. Keep an eye on him as he’s no longer just a name on a leaderboard.
👀 Who Else Stepped Up?
It wasn’t just Kitayama and Stevens lighting up Twin Cities. A scrappy crew of David Lipsky, Matt Wallace, Pierceson Coody, and Jake Knapp muscled their way to 20-under finishes, reminding us that this course rewards streaky brilliance, providing you can hold your nerve for four days straight.
Right behind them, Alex Noren, Takumi Kanaya, William Mouw, and Chris Gotterup all cracked the top 10, with in form Gotterup proving that precision from the Scottish Open can travel; even to the swirly plains of Minnesota.
And don’t sleep on little Rickie Fowler. Still nursing that post-injury bounce, he quietly threaded together a tidy weekend at 13-under. No fireworks, no stumbles, just the kind of quietly competent golf that keeps FedExCup dreams alive. It’s always nice seeing Rickie play well.
⚡ Bang Average Moment of the Week
Sliding onto the weekend by the skin of his teeth, Kitayama answered with two scintillating back-to-back rounds. But the masterpiece came on Sunday, in misty, shifty conditions where tempo dropped, scores tumbled, and nerves shouldn’t have survived. He parred 18 and won by two. Chaos in the mist, sanity in his swing.
