Kurt Kitayama etched his name into golf's record books on Sunday, firing a blistering 7-under-par 63 in the final round of the PGA Championship. This remarkable performance ties the lowest final round score ever recorded in a major championship.
Kitayama's 63 puts him in an elite group, making him the ninth player to achieve this score in the final round of a major, and the second to do so specifically at the PGA Championship. His bogey-free round, which included seven birdies, saw him surge up the leaderboard. He started the day T-64 and finished tied for seventh when he completed his play.
The player himself attributed the extraordinary round to his putting, humorously referring to it as the work of "the putter God." He noted that the lessened wind conditions on Sunday made play feel "so much easier" compared to previous days.
A Day of Record-Breaking Putts
Kitayama's exceptional putting was a central theme of his historic round. He holed a significant amount of putts, with multiple made from beyond 12 feet. Key moments included:
A 32-foot birdie putt on the first hole.
A 33-foot putt on the first hole, followed by a 19-footer on the second, and a 9-footer on the third, marking birdies on the first three holes.
A crucial 13-foot birdie putt on the par-4 13th hole, after getting up-and-down from a bunker.
A 20-footer on the 18th hole for a final birdie.
In total, Kitayama made 141 feet, 5 inches of putts during his round.
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Context and Championship Landscape
While Kitayama's 63 is a monumental achievement, his 3-under-par total for the tournament likely won't be enough to win the championship, given the tightly bunched leaderboard with many players within a few shots of the lead. However, his performance undeniably added a significant historical footnote to the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
This performance is second only to Brad Faxon, who also shot a 63 in the final round of the PGA Championship in 1995. Another notable 63 in major history was recorded by Henrik Stenson at Royal Troon during his epic duel with Phil Mickelson to win The Open Championship.
