Kurt Kitayama’s Winning Bag Is Filled With Oddities

Winning a golf tournament is hard, no matter the event, and for the second time in his PGA Tour career, Kurt Kitayama walked away with the trophy on Sunday at the 3M Open.

Kurt is one of a growing group of what we like to call in the gear world - a free agent, meaning he doesn't have an official equipment deal for any of his clubs. Yes, he has a deal with Bridgestone golf balls for his NIL when it comes to his hat and golf bag, but beyond that, any clubs in his bag are there strictly by his choosing.

Gear free agents are fun to pay attention to because they can offer insights into club trends - often, before they hit the mainstream, and Kurt is no exception. So with the goal of diving a little deeper, here are the three things that really stand out from Kurt Kitayama's winning clubs from the 3M Open.

Lots of Loft

For any golfer who swings their driver north of 120mph, it's pretty unusual to see more than 10° of loft, but for Kurt, he goes even higher and plays an 11° Titleist GT3.

Now, yes, he plays it in the D1 Sure-Fit hosel setting to lower the loft, but even then, for most golfers in his swing speed range, this amount of loft would generate too much height and spin to offer an ideal trajectory. But, in Kurt's case, he delivers the driver in a way that reduces dynamic loft, and the higher lofted head simply helps him achieve the ideal launch conditions.

It just goes to show that driver loft is marked as a fitting and optimization tool and has very little to do with swing speed.

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GT1 Tour 3-Wood

Speaking of GT woods, Kurt also used the new GT1 Tour 3-Wood along with a GT1 7-wood on his way to winning the 3M.

The GT1 Tour 3-wood has been a hugely popular addition to Titleist's fitting Matrix out on tour, and as we reported not too long ago, the popularity also means that it will be making its way to retailers very soon: Titleist GT1 Tour3 - Built to Launch.

As for Kurt's use of a 7-wood, they're as common as lob wedges on tour now, but few players are using models designed for players who need help spinning the golf ball enough to keep it in the air. But, just like with his 11° driver, Kurt's delivery into the ball means that he needs help to get the ball on an ideal trajectory, which is why a 7-wood makes for such a great option when approaching greens from longer distances.

Bridgestone Mindset Golf Balls

Between Chris Gotterup's win at the Scottish Open, top-5 at the Open Championship, and Kurt Kitayama's win at the 3M, it's been a busy few weeks for Bridgestone golf balls.

What makes Kurt's win unique is that it's one of the rare occasions that a player has won using a golf ball featuring visual technology, in this case Bridgestone's Mindset graphic which was co-desiged by Jason Day.

It goes to show that at any level (even the PGA Tour), players are always looking for an edge, and Kurt found it this week at TPC Twin Cities on his way to his second career PGA Tour victory and a guarenteed spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The Full Bag

Driver: Titleist GT3 3-Wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour 7-Wood: Titleist GT1 Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4-Iron), M7MB (5-Pw) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM10 52, 56, Wedgeworks K(Star) Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Ball: Bridgestone Tour BXS