Kitayama wins 3M Open, beating Stevens by 1 for his 2nd PGA Tour victory
Kitayama, who shot a career-best and tournament-record-tying 60
on Saturday
to enter the final round within one of the leaders, birdied six of the first eight holes to build a cushion on a 33 Celsius afternoon at the TPC Twin Cities.
Kitayama took bogey on the par-3 17th hole for the third straight day, which shrunk his lead to one while playing in the second-to-last group. Stevens was one group ahead and failed to birdie the reachable par-5 18th.
After hitting his approach on the closing hole into a greenside bunker, Kitayama safely blasted to 18 feet and easily two-putted for par, finishing at 23-under 261.
Matt Wallace, David Lipsky, Pierceson Coody and Jake Knapp tied for third, three strokes back.
Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., finished in a six-way tie for 14th at 16 under, seven shots back of the winner. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., finished at 11 under and tied with eight others for 44th.
Kitayama, who previously won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in 2023, got a 500-point boost in the FedEx Cup standings to move inside the top 70 and secure a spot in the playoffs. He was projected to jump from 110th to 53rd.
Kitayama, who tied for sixth at the 3M Open last year, has missed seven cuts this season. He tied for fifth twice, at the John Deere Classic and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
The 32-year-old native of Chico, Calif., had his approach game in prime form. He hit his
second shot on the par-4 14th
from a fairway bunker within two feet of the hole for the last of his 20 birdies on the weekend.
Stevens made five birdies on the back nine, continuing his strong season that includes three top-three finishes. He was second at the Farmers Insurance Open. The 29-year-old native of Fort Worth, Texas, is still seeking his first win, but this finish pushes him from 44th to 29th in the FedEx Cup with one event left in the regular season.
Akshay Bhatia and Thorbjorn Olesen were the co-leaders going into Sunday, but the final pairing had a disappointing finish. Bhatia shot 75 and tied for 25th, and Olesen shot 73 to fall to a tie for 14th.
___
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