Kurt Kitayama Wins Oman Open

The American won his second European Tour title in Muscat

Kurt Kitayama Wins Oman Open
(Image credit: WL)

The American won his second European Tour title in Muscat

Kurt Kitayama Wins Oman Open

Two birdies in a row on holes 16 and 17 saw Kurt Kitayama come out on top of a packed leaderboard in Oman.

The American won his second European Tour title in just his 11th start after victory in Mauritius in December.

Kitayama shot a closing 70 (-2) to beat Jorge Campillo, Clement Sordet, Fabrizio Zanotti and Max Keifer by one at Al Mouj Golf.

Both Kiefer and Zanotti were ahead at times late in the final round but a four-putt double bogey at the par-5 14th, his third double of the day, detailed Zanotti's chances, whilst Keifer bogeyed 17 to drop a crucial shot.

Sordet got to seven under with a hole to play thanks to a birdie on 17 but gave the shot back with a three-putt bogey on the last.

Kitayama played 33 holes on Sunday after a weather delay and started his third round with a quadruple-bogey 8 before two bogeys in succession followed.

"This one feels really good because when I won the first one I was playing really well and it just felt like it was coming," the 26-year-old said.

"This week I came in off three missed cuts and not having good weekends in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It feels great to grind through all of that.

"The way we started that third round, I was like, 'can we stop right now?'. It gave me a refresh and it was incredible coming back."

He is expected to rise to a career-high 104th in the world.

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Oman Open Leaderboard:

1 Kurt Kitayama (USA) -7 T2 Max Keifer (Ger) -6 T2 Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) -6 T2 Clement Sordet (Fra) -6 T2 Jorge Campillo (Spa) -6 T6 Peter Hanson (Swe) -5 T6 Thomas Pieters (Bel) -5 T6 JB Hansen (Den) -5 T9 Ashley Chesters (Eng) -4 T9 Scott Jamieson (Sco) -4 T9 Chris Paisley (Eng) -4

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV