Yuto Katsuragawa credits new putting coach as confidence returns before record 63

Yuto Katsuragawa on finding his putting confidence again: a coaching change before a record 63

Yuto Katsuragawa's official DP World Tour interview on 24 October 2026 offered an insight that went beyond his position on the leaderboard. After a bogey-free 63 in the third round of the Genesis Championship at Woo Jeong Hills in Cheonan, the Japanese player pointed to work with a new putting coach following the Irish Open as an important part of his improved feel. Eight birdies helped him equal the course record and move two strokes clear with one round remaining.

What the player actually said. Katsuragawa described the experience of playing with such confidence as something he had not felt for a long time. He also credited a putting coach he met after the Irish Open with helping him regain form. His published remarks do not identify the coach or specify a grip, alignment routine, stroke change or training drill. It would be misleading to present any of those as facts; the verified point is the change in coaching relationship and the player's own assessment of its effect.

A change in priorities. He arrived in Korea ranked 106th in the Race to Dubai, just outside the top 100 who are guaranteed to retain full DP World Tour playing rights for 2027. In the interview, he explained that although he had been looking to improve that ranking, the strong round let him shift his attention towards the possibility of winning and simply playing his golf. That psychological transition matters: an anxious fight for eligibility is a different competitive challenge from protecting the lead. Neither a tour card nor the trophy had been secured at the time he spoke.

How the 63 unfolded. Katsuragawa began the third round five shots behind the overnight leaders, Casey Jarvis and Antoine Rozner. Four successive birdies starting at the second ignited his charge, and further gains late in the day brought him to 13 under par through 54 holes. Jarvis was second on 11 under, while Si Woo Kim, Sanghun Shin and Rozner shared third at 10 under. The 63 matched the Woo Jeong Hills course record established by Jinam Kang in 2006. The scorecard was remarkable for its consistency: eight birdies and no bogeys.

Reading the interview carefully. Katsuragawa's comments are useful precisely because they are personal rather than a universal instruction manual. A golfer may feel more secure after working with a new coach, but one exceptional round does not establish which technical or mental adjustments produced the result. No verified strokes-gained putting figures or before-and-after measurements were provided in the interview. The responsible conclusion is that the player reported better feel and credited coaching, not that a particular putting method has been proven.

What happens next. His two-shot lead entering Sunday, 25 October, creates a new test: can he maintain the same rhythm while playing as the leader rather than the chaser? The result is especially consequential because this is the final regular-season stop before the DP World Tour's playoff events. Rankings and qualification projections can change when the last putt drops. This report reflects the position after Saturday's round, not an outcome already decided.

Original DP World Tour video interview, 24 October 2026 · Tour's third-round report.

Illustrative archive photograph of putting, not Yuto Katsuragawa or the Genesis Championship. Woodypino / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0, permitted for commercial use. Image page · License.