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Kurt Kitayama, a player not many expected to win, emerged victorious in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Going into the final round with a one-shot lead, he faced stiff competition from some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Patrick Cantlay.
After a triple bogey on the ninth hole, most people expected Kitayama to lose his lead and concede the tournament to one of the stars. However, he gathered himself, settled down, and went on to win the tournament.
Kitayama, a native of Chico, Calif., has played in 103 tournaments on 11 different tours around the world, including the European Tour, the Canadian Tour, the Australasian Tour, and the Asian Developmental Tour.
His experiences have helped him to handle the pressure he faced during the final round. After making seven consecutive pars, he regained the lead with a birdie on the treacherous par-3 17th and wouldn’t lose it.
After hitting his tee shot into the thick left rough on the final hole, Kitayama hit an 8-iron to the centre of the green and lagged his birdie putt to within inches of the cup, securing his first-ever PGA Tour victory in his 50th start. The win was a life-changing moment for Kitayama, who will now be competing in the Masters, British Open, and PGA Championship.
Top players in the world were quick to congratulate Kitayama, recognizing the arduous journey he had taken to get to this point. Rory McIlroy praised Kitayama for his perseverance, saying, “He’s sort of persevered and played wherever he could get starts, and all of a sudden he’s won one of the biggest events on the PGA Tour. So, good for him.”
»Kurt Kitayama emerges victorious in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill«
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