Kurt Kitayama

Kurt Kitayama was born in Chico, California, where he was a standout point guard on a high school basketball team that went 27-2, despite standing about 5-foot-6. He also starred in junior golf, finishing third at the Junior World Championships, before playing four years at UNLV, where he twice won the Jackrabbit Invitational.

He turned pro in 2015 and struggled on the Web.com Tour, falling outside the top 1,000 in the world by 2017. He rebuilt in Asia, then went through European Tour qualifying and won the 2018 Mauritius Open and 2019 Oman Open, becoming the fastest player to two wins in that tour's history.

Kitayama earned his PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in 2021. He won the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill for his first PGA Tour title, then took the 2025 3M Open after a third-round 60 that tied the tournament record. That second win moved him into the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

World ranking history

Official World Golf Ranking position. Higher on the chart is better.

Major championships

Finish at every major start. T = tied, MC = missed cut.

Wins 5

Wins in events counted by the Official World Golf Ranking.

1. 2025

   • 3M Open PGA Tour

2. 2023

   • Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard PGA Tour

3. 2019

   • Oman Open DP World Tour

4. 2018

   • Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open at Anahita Sunshine Tour
   • PGM Darulaman Championship Asian Development Tour

Season results