Every golfer looks calm on the outside—but there’s always more going on behind the scenes. We don’t see is the quiet storm playing out beyond the ropes with the family riding every shot in silence and their hearts racing in sync. For every kid who grew up looking to the stands for reassurance, every pro is still the same, with eyes searching for a familiar face to steady the nerves.
Good for Kurt Kitayama, who had his brother on the bag this week. “This win’s going to be extra special having him on the bag. Very cool experience, and really happy he’s part of it,” Kitayama told the press. His brother, Danielle Kitayama’s presence inside the ropes wasn’t just sentimental, but also it was an extra edge. Having family close brought a sense of calm and confidence that helped push him toward the win, which earned him $1.5M and that’s the quiet magic of family in golf.
“He helped me stay calm out there, make good decisions, and yeah, just helps having family on the bag,” Kitayama added. Having a family member as a caddie is more than just a sentimental choice; it’s a mental advantage. Familiar voices and trusted support can keep a player’s mind clear when pressure builds, helping them focus on execution rather than the noise around them. And this was not the first time his brother was his caddie; they had won 2 tournaments before, the Oman Open in 2019 and Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open in 2018.
Building on that, Phil Mickelson brought his brother Tim in as his caddie back in 2017, and together they made history when Phil won the 2021 PGA Championship. It was a special moment made even better by having family by his side. Tony Finau has a similar setup with his cousin Jeff on the bag, helping him stay focused and calm during his big wins.
Dustin Johnson has relied on his younger brother Austin as his caddie for over a decade, including during his 2016 U.S. Open victory at Oakmont. Their chemistry and trust have been crucial in high-pressure moments, allowing Johnson to stay composed and make confident decisions on key shots.
While Kitayama had his brother by his side inside the ropes, some of the most important family members were missing from the event.
When asked by the press how the other family members reacted watching from home, Kitayama replied, “Well… my mom didn’t answer, so I called my dad. I assumed they would be together.” Mothers are often a player’s biggest supporters, and even a quick glimpse of them can give an instant boost of confidence. But not only was his mother missing from the event, she also didn’t pick up his call. The reason she didn’t answer was surprisingly common and one that many families of professional athletes can relate to.
“My dad tells me my mom couldn’t watch; she was, I think, out somewhere, so she couldn’t be too nervous watching,” Kitayama shared. Everyone reacts to pressure differently, and for his mother, the stakes felt so high that watching every shot unfold was too much to bear. Her attachment to her son’s game ran so deep that the only way to manage her nerves was to step away from the screen entirely, choosing to distract herself elsewhere.
It’s understandable for Kitayama to get nervous after all; he was the one in the arena, under the glare of the cameras and the weight of every swing. But in her own way, his mother was fighting a battle just as real, wrestling with the tension of every moment from afar. But she was not the only one with stress piling up. “Then called my girlfriend, and she was ecstatic. Stressed.” Kitayama added. Her girlfriend felt both the thrill of victory and the exhaustion of watching the pressure unfold.
The family moments made this win special, but there’s more to it. For Kitayama, this win landed right when he needed it most in his career.
A Win That Came at the Perfect Time
The timing of this win could not have been better for Kitayama. His year had been one of those seasons where the grind just kept getting heavier. He played 19 events and missed the cut in 8 of them. Last year wasn’t much different, but it was not his worst; he played 23 events and cracked 4 missed cuts. The 2023 season was the year in which 22 and ended up with 9 missed cuts. Not a disaster, but not the kind of rhythm a player dreams about either.
Majors didn’t offer much relief. This year, the PGA Championship was his only major start, and it ended early. Last year, he made it to all four but never truly found himself in the hunt. After his 3M Open win, he admitted, “I’ve been pretty far out this entire year, and with only two events left, I just keep looking to improve.”
To put this win in perspective, it marks Kitayama’s second PGA Tour title, following his breakthrough victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March 2023. That first win was a major turning point—it pushed him into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time, opening doors to more elite events and boosting his confidence.
That’s why this week felt different. All those missed cuts, the quiet flights home, the long-range sessions, it all built to this. And when it finally clicked, the relief was obvious. “Lucky I was able to get the win and that jumped me up huge,” he said with a smile. Sometimes a season just needs one spark. For Kitayama, this was it.
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