Kurt Kitayama equals major record after stunning Sunday charge at Aronimink

Kurt Kitayama produced one of the greatest final rounds in major championship history with a stunning seven-under 63 at Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday to close out the 108th PGA Championship.

The American signed for the lowest round of the week by two shots after pouring in a 13-foot birdie putt on the 18th green, capping a remarkable display with the putter.

“The putter God,” Kitayama said after an historic final round at Aronimink. 

“I felt like I was holing the world out there. What my eye saw, that’s what the ball was doing. The putter carried me today.”

Kitayama’s closing 63 matched the record for the lowest final round ever shot in a major championship. 

He became just the ninth player to achieve the feat since Johnny Miller’s iconic 63 at the 1973 U.S. Open, and only the second player to do it at the PGA Championship after Brad Faxon in 1995.

The lowest score ever recorded in any round at a men’s major remains 62. 

Branden Grace became the first player to achieve the mark during the third round of The Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017, before Jordan Spieth went on to win the Claret Jug.

Xander Schauffele has since matched the feat twice, firing 62 at the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club and again during the PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2024. 

Schauffele would go on to win at Valhalla, while Wyndham Clark lifted the trophy at Los Angeles Country Club.

It was also the best score of Kitayama’s major career, beating his previous low by two shots across 58 rounds.

Starting well down the leaderboard on four-over par after a disappointing third-round 75, the 33-year-old played with freedom in one of the early groups and immediately caught fire. 

He opened with three straight birdies, including a 32-footer at the first, before adding further gains at the sixth and ninth to turn in 30.

Kitayama’s putter stayed red hot on the back nine. Birdies at the 13th and 18th both came from 13 feet, while he finished the day having holed an astonishing 141 feet, five inches of putts. 

Five of his birdies came from outside of 12 feet.

“It was one of those rounds where the putter just clicked,” said Kitayama, who finished his week at three-under par. 

“I was rolling it. It was lights out for me.”

The statistics backed up the brilliance. Alongside his elite putting performance, Kitayama hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation during a near-flawless final round.

He eventually finished the championship at three-under-par for the week and briefly climbed into a share of seventh place after posting his score.

Although the remarkable charge will not be enough to secure a first major title, it represents another hugely encouraging week for Kitayama, who continues to build momentum on the PGA Tour.

His performance at Aronimink is expected to secure a fourth consecutive top-20 finish as the two-time PGA Tour winner continues an impressive run of form heading into the heart of the season.