Pat Mayo cautioned against playing Kurt Kitayama despite his repeated appearance in optimizer builds. Mayo noted Kitayama hasn't finished better than T33 in 2025, with his previous strong showings occurring at easier courses against weaker competition during the swing season. Mayo compared Kitayama's scenario to Anders Albertson years ago, whose single strong performance kept him inflated in projections for weeks but never matched future results. He emphasized that Kitayama's past heater in weaker fields is misleading and his current form badly translates to tougher fields like the one at the Houston Open. Mayo advocated for manually adjusting or disregarding optimizer-driven exposure to Kitayama this week.

Derek Farnsworth expressed deep concern regarding Kurt Kitayama, despite the potential theoretical fit from a 'bomber' standpoint. Farnsworth noted struggling mightily when rostering Kitayama this season (0-for-6), and points to a recent dramatic decline in Kitayama's iron play. After previously ranking as a top-10 iron player, Kitayama has plummeted to 81st in this field. Given this concerning form and inconsistency, Farnsworth strongly advises caution and is personally choosing to exclude Kitayama entirely from his DFS player pool this week.

Matthew MacKay recommended Kurt Kitayama as a solid DFS option for the Texas Children's Houston Open, citing promising statistics despite Kitayama's recent struggles, which include missing three of his last four cuts. Kitayama ranks 12th in driving distance, 30th in strokes gained off-the-tee, and 34th in proximity to the hole, all key metrics for success at Memorial Park Golf Course. Additionally, he excels at approach shots over 200 yards, a frequent scenario at this course with its lengthy par 3s. With a discounted DraftKings salary of $7,600, MacKay believes Kitayama offers a strong DFS upside this week.

Andy Lack is fading Kurt Kitayama in DFS due to persistent underperformance despite intriguing ball-striking upside. Although Kitayama once showcased significant talent, winning a signature event at Bay Hill and strong approaches earlier, he hasn't finished inside top 30 at all this season. Lack has lost faith in Kitayama’s potential turning into actual DFS returns, asserting that his DFS price hasn't yet caught up to disappointing recent results, making him a poor fantasy option this week.

Bo McBrayer acknowledged Kurt Kitayama as an excellent fit for Memorial Park but expressed frustration over Kitayama's severe putting struggles. McBrayer observed that Kitayama has missed numerous short birdie and par putts this season, clearly impacting his results. While Kitayama's ball striking and skill in tough conditions remain impressive, the persistent inability to sink putts prevents McBrayer from betting on him. McBrayer suggested Kitayama might consider adopting alternative putting styles or approaches—such as a broomstick type putter or AimPoint—to address these critical shortfalls, much like the improvement seen recently by Akshay Bhatia, who dramatically boosted his putting by switching to a long putter.

John Haslbauer sees Kurt Kitayama as a strong candidate for success at Memorial Park Golf Course due to standout ball striking and proficiency with long irons, key metrics for this challenging track. Kitayama ranks within the top ten of strokes gained approach particularly from beyond 200 yards, a critical component at Memorial Park with its lengthy par-4s and par-3s. Haslbauer emphasized Memorial Park’s difficulty and reliance on strong ball-striking skill sets along with bogey avoidance. Kitayama's profile fits these demands perfectly, marking him as an undervalued asset in DFS lineups and betting markets, particularly given the attention likely paid to more prominent names.

Rick Gehman noted Kurt Kitayama popped as the second-highest golfer in his statistical model heading into the Valspar Championship, driven by recent positive indicators. Although hesitant about fully embracing Kitayama due to inconsistent recent performances, Gehman referenced Kitayama's improved putting at The Players Championship, gaining strokes putting in each of his last three rounds. Gehman emphasized how Kitayama's overall strong driving ability adds upside at a tree-lined course like Innisbrook, but felt caution was warranted due to no substantial course history. Still, Gehman acknowledged Kitayama's strong metrics make him tempting at DFS this week, though he personally preferred one more week of proof.

Geoff Ulrich highlights Kurt Kitayama as a tournament DFS play due to his potential suitability for challenging conditions expected at Copperhead for the Valspar Championship. Kitayama has previously won on similarly challenging Florida setups and enters the Valspar Championship ranked highly in key statistical areas, including 14th in strokes gained approach and 7th in strokes gained off-the-tee. His recent form also shows improvements on the greens, evidenced by gaining 1.9 strokes putting at Sawgrass for his best putting week yet. Given his strong statistical profile and proven success in similar conditions, Ulrich deems Kitayama a potentially impactful DFS play this week.