Patrick Cantlay was widely criticized for his slow pace of play during the final round of the Masters, but his deliberate approach made an internet star out of Aaliyah Kikumoto.
If you were watching the Masters live on Sunday, you may simply know Kikumoto as the brunette in the green Masters hat. The young lady went viral for obvious reasons after she was shown standing behind Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm as they waited for Cantlay and Viktor Hovland to finish on the 16th green.
Kikumoto gained most of her fame through a TikTok video that was captioned, “Somehow I feel (sic) in love with someone I only saw for 15 seconds.”
As expected, it did not take long for the internet to uncover the fan’s identity. She is Aaliyah Kikumoto, a cheerleader at Texas Tech.
Kikumoto is fully embracing her newfound fame, too. After she went viral, she shared some photos on Instagram of her at Augusta National and wrote “thank you Ho. 16.”
Kikumoto’s father was at the Masters with Aaliyah. He identified himself and his daughter after someone on Twitter noticed his Texas Tech hat.
Yes, enjoying easter at the masters with my TTU pom squad hat on. Our daughter Aaliyah has the green masters hat on and goes to Tech. Wreck em! pic.twitter.com/5nq99dTi06
— Charles Kikumoto (@CharlesKikumoto) April 10, 2023
Sports fans know what that type of viral moment can do for someone, so Kikumoto is smart to capitalize on it. She should also probably thank Cantlay. Without his painfully slow play, Aaliyah would have been just another fan among the thousands at Augusta National.
H/T Outkick
