Kurt Kitayama spoke to the media following his win at the 3M Open, where he was asked:
– How does it feel to get this one across the line?
– How special having your brother on your bag this week?
– Did you lean on your brother a bit down the stretch?
– What was it like calling your parents to get their reaction?
– Why does this course seem to suit you so well?
– How would you compare your game now to when you won in 2023?
– How did that hot start set you up for the rest of the round?
– What was the key to scoring so well the last two days?
– How did your brother end up caddying for you this week?
Feels amazing to come out on top. Um this is awesome. Yeah, I mean this this one’s going to be extra special having him on the bag. Um very cool experience and really happy he’s he’s part of it. Yeah, of course. Um you know, he was helped me stay calm out there, make good decisions. Um and you know, just yeah, it just helps having family on the bag. Um, really cool uh to see them. Well, my dad, my mom didn’t answer, so I called my dad. I assumed they’d be together. And um my dad tells me my mom couldn’t watch. She was I think out somewhere um just enough so she couldn’t be too nervous watching. Um but and then uh you know called my girlfriend and she was ecstatic um stressed. Uh but it’s it’s really special to be able to call them and and see how they are. I just you know some of the courses you’re just comfortable with and uh and having that result last last year um definitely helps coming into this week knowing that I can play well here. Um and I think just being comfortable like that is is what helps. what I’ve been working on is starting to kind of show. Um, overall, you know, my I felt like my ball striking kind of dipped a little bit earlier this year and and now it’s it’s starting to come into form, I think. Um, and that’s kind of been, you know, last year I felt like I hit it really well and my putting kind of let me down last year and and now it’s starting to feel a lot better. starting to see some um results there. And that’s been, you know, the last probably month or two months that I’ve kind of noticed. Getting off to the start like that kind of helps settle you down. You know, final round, second to last group, there’s definitely some nerves and to come out like that will definitely help kind of settle the nerves a bit and and get you more comfortable throughout the round. Uh the fans were amazing, you know, especially yesterday. Um when I was, you know, 59 watch, everyone was cheering me on. Um today to get off that start, everyone was cheering me on. A lot of positive um energy out there, which was amazing. I was just in control of my irons, you know, especially getting off the start today was um my wedges got me into those positions. You know, I hit them hit them tight. um kind of trusted that early on and um took advantage of the the shorter holes with the wedges. You know, I wasn’t you know, you don’t expect to come out like that after, you know, shooting 11 under and to come out like that was was special. You know, the guy change wasn’t wasn’t my choice actually. Um, and so I had to find someone and I knew someone I had to find someone that I trusted and and my brother’s been on the bag before. Um, you know, we won twice in in Europe and, you know, he’s always been around around me at tournaments or, you know, wherever he can and so I figured that was going to be the best fit to finish the season.
