Kurt Kitayama’s three-shot victory Sunday at the 3M Open marked his second career PGA Tour win.
It was his first alongside his older brother, Daniel.
Daniel Kitayama, who has caddied off and on for his brother over the years, picked up the bag for the first time this season at last week’s Barracuda Championship, which was Kurt’s first event after splitting with his previous caddie, Tim Tucker. And as Tucker worked spot duty for his old boss, Bryson DeChambeau, at this week’s LIV U.K. event, Daniel was looping a second straight week for little bro.
“You know, the caddie change wasn’t my choice actually,” Kitayama said Sunday evening, “and so I had to find someone that I knew, I had to find someone that I trusted, and my brother’s been on the bag before. We won twice in Europe. He’s always been around me at tournaments and whenever he can, so I figured that was going to be the best fit to finish the season.”
Kurt Kitayama was T-4 at the John Deere Classic, his last tournament with Tucker on the bag, before tying for 14th in Tahoe. Tucker was filling in for DeChambeau’s regular caddie, Greg Bodine, and told Golfweek that after this week, “I will see what opportunities there are in the caddie world.” DeChambeau was T-11 on Sunday.
Said Kurt of Daniel: “He helped me stay calm out there, make good decisions, and yeah, just helps having family on the bag.”
Kitayama’s win moved him to No. 53 in FedExCup points, so with one regular-season tournament left, he’s guaranteed to qualify for the playoff opener, the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
