Kurt Kitayama shot a seven-under-par 63 in the final round of the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 17. The score tied the record for the lowest final-round score in major championship history, making Kitayama the second player to shoot a 63 in a PGA Championship final round, joining Brad Faxon in 1995, and the ninth to do so across golf's four majors [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
Kitayama, a 33-year-old American with PGA Tour wins at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational and 2025 3M Open, finished the tournament with a total score of 277, three-under par [2, 4, 5, 6]. He opened his round with three consecutive birdies and completed it bogey-free. "The putter God. I felt like I was holding 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 said about his hot putting [1]. Another interview quoted him saying, "It was one of those rounds for me that the putter clicked. I was just rolling it. It was just lights out for me," and added that after a tough previous round he benefited from good breaks on the final day [2].
Before the final round, Kitayama was 10 shots behind the 54-hole leader, Alex Smalley. He was three shots off the lead after his round [1, 3]. His scores over the four rounds were 70, 69, 75, and 63, showing a strong finish despite struggling in round three [2, 4, 5]. Weather conditions improved on Sunday, with winds dying down, aiding scoring, which Kitayama noted saying the calmer wind "made it a little easier to score" [2, 4, 5].
The lowest final-round score in a major is 62, achieved five times including at the 2024 PGA Championship; Kitayama’s 63 ties the second-best mark ever [6].
The 2026 PGA Championship concluded with Kitayama's record-tying round on May 17, capping his comeback effort over the four days of play.
