Who Is Kurt Kitayama? Meet the Round 2 Arnold Palmer Invitational Leader

Kitayama shot a second-round 68 to take a two-shot lead over Jordan Spieth.

After firing a second-round 68 to snag a two-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Kurt Kitayama’s days of flying under the radar might be coming to a close. 

The 30-year-old UNLV product carded five birdies and just one bogey on a blustery day at Bay Hill. Jordan Spieth is alone in second place at seven-under par for the tournament, while Xander Schauffele and Corey Conners are six under. 

“There's no gimme holes,” Kitayama said after the round. “You feel like you're always on edge, playing to the safe side and can't really feel like you're in attack mode at all. So it's just, it's tough. Mentally it's just grinding.”

The round might have been a tough test, but oddly enough, Kitayama’s home base in Las Vegas has given him an unusual leg up in the windy conditions. 

“Actually I was playing with Collin [Morikawa] last week and it was probably like 40 degrees and blowing 20 or so. It was actually snowing. It was crazy. Yeah, definitely. We were talking about it, it was like, now we're prepared for anything. Whatever comes at us, we'll be ready,” Kitayama said with a laugh. 

Morikawa isn’t the only fellow PGA Tour player Kitayama pairs with in Vegas. He also spends time on the course with Schauffele, who revealed a few details about the Arnold Palmer Invitational leader. 

“Yeah, Kurt, we call him Quadzilla or the Quadfather. He’s got really big legs,” Schauffele revealed. “So I call him 'Quadz' with a Z at the end. He’s a good dude. He’s a really good player. He hangs tough and he’s got a good head on his shoulders. So not surprised to see him up there on the leaderboard.”

“We call him Quadzilla or the Quadfather.” @XSchauffele revealed @Kurt_Kitayama's nickname today @APInv 😂 pic.twitter.com/9inUNbgXty

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 3, 2023

When asked about Kitayama’s strengths on the course, Schauffele cited his friend’s distance off the tee. Standing at just 5’7”, Kitayama ranked 20th in driving distance on the PGA Tour last season. 

Kitayama has played professional golf across the globe, and within the past year he’s had several close calls against top players on Tour. He's in the midst of just his second season as a PGA Tour member, but he’s already making a mark.

At the 2022 CJ Cup, Kitayama finished second to Rory McIlroy and a few months prior at the Genesis Scottish Open, he was runner-up to Schauffele. Kitayama also finished tied for second place behind Jon Rahm—the current world No. 1—in May at the Mexico Open. 

Kitayama, who grew up in Chico, Calif., struggled to find success on the Korn Ferry Tour during the early years of his pro career, so he pivoted to the Asian Tour and eventually earned a spot on the European Tour. After just eleven starts, Kitayama captured two victories, becoming the fastest player to get two wins on the European Tour. 

“Not finding success early here was, yeah, it’s disappointing, but it took me somewhere else to grow,” Kitayama said of his first few years as a professional golfer. “And it was growing more than just in golf, really. You get to experience the different cultures, travel. I mean, you find yourself in some interesting spots. Places that you probably wouldn’t ever go. So I think just as a person I was able to grow.”

Kitayama will chase more career growth as he hunts down his first PGA Tour victory this weekend at Bay Hill.