Kurt Kitayama

Kurt Kitayama was born on January 14, 1993, in Chico, California. He attended Chico High School, graduating in 2011, where he was a multi-sport athlete, notably serving as senior co-captain and starting point guard for the basketball team that won the 2011 California Northern Section Title. After high school, he pursued his golf career at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas from 2011 to 2015. During his collegiate career, Kitayama won the Jackrabbit Invitational in both 2014 and 2015 and was named to the Academic All-Mountain West team for three consecutive years.

Kitayama turned professional in 2015. His early professional years included playing on the Web.com Tour with limited success. A turning point came in 2018, when he achieved a victory at the PGM Darulaman Championship on the Asian Development Tour and had strong finishes on the Asian Tour. This performance led to him earning a spot on the 2019 European Tour through Q-School. He quickly made an impact, securing his first European Tour victory at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in late 2018, followed by a second win at the Oman Open in March 2019, making him the fastest player to two European Tour wins in his 11th career appearance.

His career progression continued with earning his PGA Tour card in September 2021 through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. On the PGA Tour, Kitayama recorded notable finishes, including a 3rd place at The Honda Classic in February 2022 and a T2 at the Mexico Open in May 2022. He achieved his first PGA Tour victory in March 2023 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Most recently, in July 2025, he secured his second PGA Tour win at the 3M Open, where he shot a career-best and tournament-record-tying 60 in the third round. Kitayama has compiled career earnings exceeding $15 million on the PGA Tour, with a total of 5 professional wins.