Kurt Kitayama was out in the fourth group on the final day of the 108th PGA Championship on the host Aronimink course.
Kitayama teed-off lying just outside the leading 60 at three-over having produced earlier scores of 70, 69 and horror third day 75.
Though it was a dream last day start for Kitayama who birdied his opening three holes to suggest a low round could be on the cards.
Indeed it was as proceeded to then birdie the sixth and ninth holes to move to five-under for his round but, of course, with hardly anything overly special taking place to suggest a major championship scoring record was on its way.
KILLER KURT …
As Kurt Kitayama shoots record-setting @PGAChampionship final round 6⃣3⃣ to join just four others in the history of the majors to shoot 6⃣3⃣ in a final round
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PGA
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Indeed the 33-year-old American golfer was going about his game as calmly as he could.
Though when he moved to six-under for his round with a birdie on 13 it was then there was talk of matching the all-time lowest round on a final day in a men’s major and that being 63.
Kitayama had now attracted a big following as he tackled the closing few holes but only producing four straight pars until playing the par-4 18th when he found the green in two.
His hopes for a record-tying 62 ended with a two-putt par from 40 feet on the par-3 17th. But he finished a great day in style by making birdie on the 18th from just outside 12 feet.
The double PGA Tour champion was delighted, so to was a big crowd gathered around the 18th to witness a slice of major championship history.
“The putter God,” Kitayama said who walked from the course having jumped over 50 places and into the then clubhouse lead at three-under.
“I felt like I was holing the world out there. What my eye saw that’s what the ball was doing. And that’s a good feeling. I think just the putter kind of carried me today.”
Kitayama is the ninth player to shoot a round of 63 in a final round of a major since Johnny Miller at the 1973 U.S. Open and just the second player to do it in the PGA Championship, joining Brad Faxon in 1995.
It also was Kitayama’s best score in 58 career major rounds by two shots.
Players to shoot 63 on Sunday in a major championship include:
Brad Faxon had the only other 63 on Sunday in the PGA, in 1995 at Riviera that earned him a spot on the Ryder Cup team.
Johnny Miller was the first with 63 on Sunday in a major, and perhaps the most famous, at Oakmont in 1973 to win the U.S. Open.
Henrik Stenson shot 63 at Royal Troon in 2016 when he won his famous duel with Phil Mickelson.
Tommy Fleetwood has shot 63 on Sunday in the U.S. Open twice, in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills and in 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club.
