Kurt Kitayama on the 10th hole during the second round of the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
Over the course of the past year, Kurt Kitayama has grown accustomed to being at the top of leaderboards.
He tied for second at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, finishing behind Jon Rahm. Then he finished runner-up to Xander Schauffele at the Genesis Scottish Open. Earlier this season at the CJ Cup, Kitayama finished second behind Rory McIlroy.
He has come close, but some of the game’s star players have bested him in the past year. Now, he’s once again in position for his first PGA Tour win at 30 years old.
Kitayama played Pebble Beach Golf Links on Friday, firing a 2-under 70 after an opening 7-under 64 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club. He’s at 9 under for the tournament, which puts him in the lead with 36 holes to play.
Having that experience near the top of the leaderboard, he feels more prepared for the pressure.
“I think the more you put yourself in that position the more you can get comfortable feeling uncomfortable,” Kitayama said. “It’s definitely good experiences to fall back on and use coming Sunday, hopefully.”
Kitayama will play Spyglass Hill Golf Course on Saturday, which is regarded as the toughest of the three in the rota during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. However, forecasted winds and possible rain could make scoring hard to come by this weekend, meaning Kitayama has to take his opportunities as they come.
“Just got to stay patient. I think the weather — I’m not sure what the weather’s going to be, but I know it’s playing a lot tougher there than the other two courses,” Kitayama said. “So I think just kind of staying patient all around and get my birdies where I can.”
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Spanish