Kurt Kitayama is an American professional golfer of Japanese descent who has become one of the PGA Tour’s most consistent performers, backed by two Tour wins and a career earnings haul north of $20 million as of August 2026.
Kurt Kitayama’s Biography
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Kurt Shun Kitayama |
| Nickname | Quadzilla, The Project, The Kitty Kat |
| Date of Birth | January 14, 1993, in Chico, California |
| Age | 33 years |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Turned Professional | 2015 |
| Current Tour / Team | PGA Tour and DP World Tour (European Tour) |
| Career Prize Money / Tournament Earnings | Approximately $20.5 million (PGA Tour career earnings) |
| Achievements / Titles | 2× PGA Tour winner (2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2025 3M Open); 2× DP World Tour winner (2018 Mauritius Open, 2019 Oman Open); T4 finish, 2023 PGA Championship |
| Sponsors | Bridgestone Golf (golf balls), Chervò (apparel) |
| Relationship Status | Engaged |
| Fiancée | Eunice Chunn |
| Instagram Profile | @kurt_kitayama |
Kitayama is a small-in-stature but big-hitting golfer who went from grinding on mini-tours to winning a signature PGA Tour event at Bay Hill. His journey took him through the Asian Tour and the DP World Tour before he cracked the PGA Tour full-time.
Early Career
Kitayama grew up in Chico, California, and was actually a standout point guard on his high school basketball team before focusing on golf. He attended UNLV from 2011 to 2015, earning Academic All-Mountain West honors three times.
After turning pro in 2015, he struggled for years on the Web.com Tour, dropping to a world ranking around 1,174 by the end of 2017 before finding form on the Asian Tour.
Professional Career
Kitayama’s breakthrough came on the DP World Tour, where he won the 2018 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and then became the fastest player to two European Tour wins when he captured the 2019 Oman Open in just his 11th start. He earned his PGA Tour card via the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals, then claimed his maiden PGA Tour title at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational, beating Rory McIlroy and Harris English by one stroke.
In July 2025, he won the 3M Open with a closing 60-65, and in 2026 he continued that form with a runner-up finish at the Genesis Invitational and a top-10 at the PGA Championship.
Fiancée
Kurt Kitayama is engaged, not married. He proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Eunice Chunn, and announced the engagement on Instagram in December 2025, captioning the post “Well I tried just kidding she said yes! 11.28.25. A wedding date has not been publicly announced, and Chunn keeps her own Instagram account private, so detailed background on her is limited. There is no publicly available information indicating that Kitayama has any children.
Kurt Kitayama’s Net Worth Details
Kitayama has never disclosed an official net worth figure, and no verified financial filing exists for him, so any number floating around online is an estimate rather than a confirmed figure. Based on his PGA Tour career earnings of roughly $20.5 million as of August 2026, plus DP World Tour prize money and sponsorship income from Bridgestone Golf and Chervò, third-party estimates place his net worth somewhere in the $8 million to $12 million range. Given the wide variance across unofficial sources, treat any precise dollar figure as a rough approximation rather than a verified number.
Prize Money
| Season | On-Course Earnings (PGA Tour) |
| 2017 | $39,257 |
| 2018 | $0 |
| 2019 | $20,200 |
| 2020 | $254,559 |
| 2021 | $3,200 |
| 2022 | $2,532,391 |
| 2023 | $5,998,792 |
| 2024 | $2,014,946 |
| 2025 | $3,680,069 |
| 2026 (through mid-August) | $4,411,549 |
Career Earnings
| Category | Amount |
| PGA Tour Earnings (non-major events) | $18,320,884 |
| Major Championship Earnings | $1,796,400 |
| Total PGA Tour Career Earnings | Approximately $20.1–$20.6 million |
| PGA Tour Wins | 2 |
| DP World Tour Wins | 2 |
| Total Professional Wins (all tours) | 5 |
Major Championship
| Major | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Best Finish (Career) |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T35 | Did not play | 51 | T35 (2024) |
| PGA Championship | T4 | T26 | CUT | T10 | T4 (2023) |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | Did not play | T53 | T53 (2026) |
| The Open Championship | T60 | T41 | Did not play | T40 | T41 (2024) |
FAQs
1. Who is Kurt Kitayama?
Kurt Kitayama is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA TOUR. He was born in Chico, California, on January 14, 1993.
2. When did Kurt Kitayama turn professional?
Kitayama turned professional in 2015 after playing college golf at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
3. Where did Kurt Kitayama play college golf?
He played collegiate golf at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
4. How many PGA TOUR events has Kurt Kitayama won?
Kitayama has won two PGA TOUR events: the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational and the 2025 3M Open.
5. What was Kurt Kitayama’s first PGA TOUR victory?
His first PGA TOUR win came at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where he won by one stroke over Rory McIlroy and Harris English.
6. Did Kurt Kitayama win on the DP World Tour?
Yes. He won the 2018 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and the 2019 Oman Open.
7. Why was Kurt Kitayama’s Oman Open victory notable?
The 2019 Oman Open made him the fastest player to win twice on the DP World Tour, achieving the milestone in just 11 career starts.
8. What is Kurt Kitayama’s best finish in a major championship?
His best major result is a tie for fourth at the 2023 PGA Championship.
9. What is Kurt Kitayama’s lowest PGA TOUR round?
His lowest PGA TOUR round is a 60, recorded during the 2025 3M Open.
10. Where does Kurt Kitayama live?
Kitayama resides in Henderson, Nevada.