Monday, July 28th, 2025 Balls & Bogeys Golf News Edition
Kurt Kitayama’s birdie barrage leads to 2025 3M Open victory
– by Adam Schupak / Golfweek
Per Adam: “On a sweltering hot and humid Sunday in Blaine, Minnesota, Kurt Kitayama was even hotter than the temperature…”
B&B POV: Kurt Kitayama won the PGA TOUR’s 3M Open last week after making 20 birdies over the weekend. He shot 28 & 29 (13-under) on the front nine Saturday and Sunday. That’s some of the best golf you will ever see. By Scottie. Rory. And everyone else who gets hot over the next decade. Crazy good.
How much money does a top 50 PGA Tour pro actually make after taxes and expenses? One player broke it down
– by Alex Meyers / Golf Digest
Per Alex: “So you want to play on the PGA Tour? You better be really, really good first of all. But once you do make it, you better be really, really good at math…”
B&B POV: Currently sitting 35th in the FedEx Cup points race and 60th in the OWGR, tour journeyman Michael Kim shared roughly what a top PGA TOUR golfer makes annually. Emphasis on PGA TOUR and not top 50 players in the world because you’d then have to consider the LIV’rs too. Thanks, Michael, for sharing your personal accounting.
What’s in the Bag (WITB): Kurt Kitayama, 2025 Edition
– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys
Per Thomas: Aside from his contractual relationship with ball manufacturer Bridgestone, Kurt Kitayama is an equipment-free agent. We’re openly big fans of his 3M Open-winning gear set-up: Titleist woods, TaylorMade irons, Vokey wedges. And his Bridgestone Tour B X ball was flying, spinning, and snaking perfectly fine last week in Minnesota.
Recognized as one of the better ball strikers on the PGA TOUR, Kurt’s putting and short game skills have always lagged behind his long game. This week, his Vokeys and Scotty stepped up and delivered.
Winners, Losers & Payouts from the 2025 3M Open
– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys
Per Thomas: Eight shots back on Friday. Course record Saturday. Birdie blitz Sunday. Hello, Kurt Kitayama. If you blinked this weekend, you might’ve missed Kitayama morphing into a laser-guided birdie machine at the 2025 3M Open. Coming into the weekend barely above the cut line, he turned TPC Twin Cities into his personal highlight reel—and casually walked off with his second PGA Tour win and $1,512,000, his second biggest payday of his career.
After parting with coach and caddie, Joaquin Niemann runs away with 2025 LIV Golf UK title
– by Cameron Jourdan / Golfweek
Per Cameron: “Joaquin Niemann started the week by parting with his caddie and coach after missing the cut at the 2025 Open Championship. He ended it in a similar fashion to how he has four other LIV Golf events this season: on top… “
B&B POV: No one will be able to argue the case that Joaquin has had a better year playing professional golf than Scottie, or even Rory. But it would be hard not to add him to the discussion of who on earth has had a top 5 year. Now, his five victories this season have come on the diminutive LIV circuit, and he hasn’t played particularly well in the majors, with one top 10 and two missed cuts. Still, he’s playing some heater-level golf against the likes of Bryson, Rahmbo, and Hatton, and did finish T-8 at the Masters against the world’s best.
FEATURED CURATED LESSON
‘From the Vault: Tiger and Butch talk about proper putter grip pressure (lighter than you think!)’
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Woots & Toots!
Things you just can’t make up. Don’t miss these random nuggets of gold we found on the interwebs. You’re welcome.
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