Tom Kite

Thomas Oliver Kite Jr. (born December 9, 1949) is an American professional golfer and golf course architect. He spent 175 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between 1989 and 1994.[2]

Tom Kite
Personal information
Full nameThomas Oliver Kite Jr.
Born (1949-12-09) December 9, 1949
McKinney, Texas
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Nationality United States
ResidenceAustin, Texas
Career
CollegeUniversity of Texas
Turned professional1972
Current tour(s)PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins37
Highest ranking5 (April 16, 1989)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour19
European Tour3
PGA Tour of Australasia1
PGA Tour Champions10
Other5
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters Tournament2nd/T2: 1983, 1986, 1997
PGA ChampionshipT4: 1981, 1988
U.S. OpenWon: 1992
The Open ChampionshipT2: 1978
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame2004 (member page)
PGA Tour
leading money winner		1981, 1989
PGA Player of the Year1989
GWAA Male
Player of the Year		1989
Vardon Trophy1981, 1982
Byron Nelson Trophy1981, 1982
Bob Jones Award1979

Kite was born in McKinney, Texas. He began playing golf at age six, and won his first tournament at age 11. Kite attended the University of Texas on a golf scholarship and was coached by Harvey Penick. He turned professional in 1972 and has been a consistent money winner ever since. Known for his innovation, he was the first to add a third wedge to his bag, one of the first players to use a sports psychologist, and one of the first to emphasize physical fitness for game improvement. He also underwent laser eye surgery, due to his partial blindness,[3] in a bid to improve his game late in his career.

He has 19 PGA Tour victories, including the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He competed on seven Ryder Cup squads (1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1993) and served as the 1997 captain. Kite holds a unique record of making the cut for the first four U.S. Opens held at Pebble Beach: 1972, 1982, 1992, and 2000. Kite also shares the distinction (with Gene Littler) of playing in the most Masters Tournaments without a win.[4]

In 1989 he was named PGA of America Player of the Year; in 1981 the Golf Writers Association Player of the Year, the Vardon Trophy winner in 1981 and 1982, Bob Jones Award recipient in 1979 and Golf Digest Rookie of the Year in 1973.

Kite was the first in Tour history to reach $6 million, $7 million, $8 million, and $9 million in career earnings. He was the Tour's leading money-winner in 1981 and 1989. In his prime Kite had few peers with the short irons. In 1993, Johnny Miller referred to Kite as "the greatest short-iron player the game has seen."[5]

In 2005 he led the PGA Tour's Booz Allen Classic by one shot going into the final round at the age of 55. If he had been able to stay ahead he would have beaten Sam Snead's record as the oldest winner on the PGA Tour by three years, but he fell away to finish tied 13th, seven shots behind Sergio García.

Kite currently plays the over 50s Champions Tour, where he has ten victories including one senior major, The Countrywide Tradition. At the 2012 U.S. Senior Open, Kite shot a front nine 28 (seven under par) in the first round. This was the lowest nine-hole score ever recorded in any USGA championship.[6][7] He finished the tournament tied for 12th.

Kite has added golf course designer to his résumé and has successfully completed several golf courses in collaboration with Bob Cupp, Randy Russell and Roy Bechtol. Completed golf courses include Coco Beach Resort in Puerto Rico (home of the Puerto Rico Open); Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey and Baltimore Country Club in Lutherville Maryland, West Course (redesign) 1989.

Kite was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.[8]

Amateur wins (1)

Professional wins (37)

PGA Tour wins (19)
Legend
Major championships (1)
Players Championships (1)
Tour Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (16)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Jun 6, 1976 IVB-Bicentennial Golf Classic −7 (71-70-70-66=277) Playoff Terry Diehl
2 Sep 4, 1978 B.C. Open −17 (66-65-68-68=267) 5 strokes Mark Hayes
3 Mar 8, 1981 American Motors Inverrary Classic −14 (69-68-68-69=274) 1 stroke Jack Nicklaus
4 Mar 7, 1982 Bay Hill Classic −6 (69-70-70-69=278) Playoff Jack Nicklaus, Denis Watson
5 Feb 6, 1983 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am −12 (69-72-62-73=276) 2 strokes Rex Caldwell, Calvin Peete
6 Mar 11, 1984 Doral-Eastern Open −16 (68-69-70-65=272) 2 strokes Jack Nicklaus
7 Jun 24, 1984 Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic −19 (69-67-66-67=269) 5 strokes Don Pooley
8 May 5, 1985 MONY Tournament of Champions −13 (64-72-70-69=275) 6 strokes Mark McCumber
9 Aug 3, 1986 Western Open −2 (70-75-73-68=286) Playoff Fred Couples, David Frost,
Nick Price
10 Jun 7, 1987 Kemper Open −14 (64-69-68-69=270) 7 strokes Chris Perry, Howard Twitty
11 Mar 12, 1989 Nestle Invitational (2) −6 (68-72-67-71=278) Playoff Davis Love III
12 Mar 19, 1989 The Players Championship −9 (69-70-69-71=279) 1 stroke Chip Beck
13 Oct 29, 1989 Nabisco Championship −8 (69-65-74-68=276) Playoff Payne Stewart
14 Aug 5, 1990 Federal Express St. Jude Classic −15 (72-68-62-67=269) Playoff John Cook
15 Jan 6, 1991 Infiniti Tournament of Champions (2) −16 (68-67-68-69=272) 1 stroke Lanny Wadkins
16 May 10, 1992 BellSouth Classic (2) −16 (70-65-72-65=272) 3 strokes Jay Don Blake
17 Jun 21, 1992 U.S. Open −3 (71-72-70-72=285) 2 strokes Jeff Sluman
18 Feb 14, 1993 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic −35 (67-67-64-65-62=325) 6 strokes Rick Fehr
19 Feb 28, 1993 Nissan Los Angeles Open −7 (73-66-67=206)* 3 strokes Dave Barr, Fred Couples,
Donnie Hammond, Payne Stewart

*Note: The 1993 Nissan Los Angeles Open was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

PGA Tour playoff record (6–4)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1976 IVB-Bicentennial Golf Classic Terry Diehl Won with par on fifth extra hole
2 1982 Bob Hope Desert Classic Ed Fiori Lost to birdie on second extra hole
3 1982 Bay Hill Classic Jack Nicklaus, Denis Watson Won with birdie on first extra hole
4 1986 Western Open Fred Couples, David Frost,
Nick Price		 Won with birdie on first extra hole
5 1988 Kemper Open Morris Hatalsky Lost to par on second extra hole
6 1988 Nabisco Championship Curtis Strange Lost to birdie on second extra hole
7 1989 Nestle Invitational Davis Love III Won with par on second extra hole
8 1989 Nabisco Championship Payne Stewart Won with par on second extra hole
9 1990 Federal Express St. Jude Classic John Cook Won with birdie on first extra hole
10 1992 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic John Cook, Rick Fehr,
Mark O'Meara, Gene Sauers		 Cook won with eagle on fourth extra hole
Fehr eliminated with birdie on second hole
Kite and O'Meara eliminated with birdie on first hole

European Tour wins (3)
Legend
Major championships (1)
Other European Tour (2)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 Sep 7, 1980 European Open Championship −8 (71-67-71-75=284) 1 stroke Lon Hinkle, Leonard Thompson
2 Jun 21, 1992 U.S. Open −3 (71-72-70-72=285) 2 strokes Jeff Sluman
3 Oct 13, 1996 Oki Pro-Am −15 (71-68-64-70=273) 1 stroke Ángel Cabrera

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1 Nov 17, 1974 City of Auckland Classic −16 (66-67-68-67=268) 7 strokes Stewart Ginn

Other wins (5)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 Dec 6, 1981 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic
(with Beth Daniel)		 −18 (69-67-64-70=270) 2 strokes Vance Heafner and Cathy Morse
2 Nov 8, 1987 Kirin Cup Individual Trophy −16 (68-69-66-69=272) 1 stroke Payne Stewart
3 Aug 25, 1992 Fred Meyer Challenge
(with Billy Andrade)		 −16 (64-64=128) 2 strokes Steve Pate and Corey Pavin
4 Nov 22, 1992 Franklin Funds Shark Shootout
(with Davis Love III)		 −25 (65-69-59=191) 1 stroke Billy Ray Brown and Nick Price,
Fred Couples and Raymond Floyd,
Hale Irwin and Bruce Lietzke
5 Nov 17, 1996 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (2)
(with Jay Haas)		 −29 (67-60-60=187) 2 strokes Hale Irwin and Lee Janzen,
Craig Stadler and Lanny Wadkins

Other playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1992 PGA Grand Slam of Golf Nick Price Lost to par on first extra hole

Champions Tour wins (10)
Legend
Champions Tour major championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (9)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Apr 2, 2000 The Countrywide Tradition −8 (68-70-71-71=280) Playoff Larry Nelson, Tom Watson
2 Jun 11, 2000 SBC Senior Open −9 (71-68-68=207) 2 strokes Bruce Fleisher
3 Sep 30, 2001 Gold Rush Classic −22 (65-62-67=194) 1 stroke Allen Doyle
4 Jan 20, 2002 MasterCard Championship −17 (63-69-67=199) 6 strokes John Jacobs
5 Mar 3, 2002 SBC Senior Classic −4 (74-69-69=212) Playoff Tom Watson
6 Oct 13, 2002 Napa Valley Championship −12 (66-66-72=204) 1 stroke Bruce Fleisher, Fred Gibson
7 Aug 8, 2004 3M Championship −13 (65-69-69=203) 1 stroke Craig Stadler
8 Mar 12, 2006 AT&T Classic −12 (70-64-70=204) 5 strokes Gil Morgan
9 Aug 20, 2006 Boeing Greater Seattle Classic −15 (71-64-66=201) Playoff Keith Fergus
10 Aug 24, 2008 Boeing Classic (2) −14 (69-67-66=202) 2 strokes Scott Simpson

Champions Tour playoff record (3–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2000 The Countrywide Tradition Larry Nelson, Tom Watson Won with birdie on sixth extra hole
Nelson eliminated with par on second hole
2 2002 SBC Senior Classic Tom Watson Won with par on second extra hole
3 2006 Boeing Greater Seattle Classic Keith Fergus Won with birdie on first extra hole
4 2007 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Jay Haas Lost to par on first extra hole
5 2008 ACE Group Classic Brad Bryant, Scott Hoch,
Tom Jenkins		 Hoch won with birdie on first extra hole

Major championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1992U.S. Open1 shot deficit−3 (71-72-70-72=285)2 strokes Jeff Sluman

Results timeline
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament T42 T27 T10 T5 T3 T18 5
U.S. Open CUT T19 T8 CUT CUT T27 T20 CUT
The Open Championship T5 T2 T30
PGA Championship T39 T33 T13 T13 CUT T35
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T6 T5 T5 T2 T6 CUT T2 T24 44 T18
U.S. Open CUT T20 29 T20 CUT 13 T35 T46 T36 T9
The Open Championship T27 CUT T29 T22 T8 CUT T72 T20 T19
PGA Championship T20 T4 T9 T67 T34 T12 T26 T10 T4 T34
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament T14 56 CUT 4 CUT CUT 2 38
U.S. Open T56 T37 1 CUT T33 T67 T82 T68 T43 T60
The Open Championship CUT T44 T19 T14 T8 T58 T27 T10 T38
PGA Championship T40 T52 T21 T56 T9 T54 CUT 5 CUT CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open T32 T5 CUT CUT T57
The Open Championship T70
PGA Championship T19 CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1982 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament031912162621
U.S. Open1002493324
The Open Championship01025102219
PGA Championship00036122823
Totals14116274710987
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 15 (1986 PGA – 1990 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (four times)

The Players Championship

Wins (1)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1989The Players Championship1 shot deficit−9 (69-70-69-71=279)1 stroke Chip Beck

Results timeline
Tournament 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
The Players Championship T19 T40 T17 CUT T28 T9 T31 T27 T27 T51 T64 T4 T9 T11 1
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
The Players Championship T5 CUT T35 CUT T9 T43 CUT CUT T25 T77 T66 T44 T36
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Senior major championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunners-up
2000The Countrywide Tradition−8 (66-71-71-72=280)Playoff1 Larry Nelson, Tom Watson

1Kite won with birdie on sixth extra hole; Nelson eliminated with par on second hole[9]

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2017.

Tournament2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
The Tradition 1 T24 T7 T2 T4 T36 T4 T4 T18 T11
Senior PGA Championship T2 T23 T15 T10 T121 T10 T40 T7 T13 T14
U.S. Senior Open 3 15 3 T12 T3 T37 T55 T22 T12 CUT
Senior Players Championship 6 T10 T10 T2 T7 T39 T9 T25 T21 T47
Senior British Open Championship – – – 4 T2 CUT T10 T10 T16 T8
Tournament2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
The Tradition T54 15 T47 T60 T59 72 T69 T68 72 WD
Senior PGA Championship T29 CUT CUT T28 CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT
U.S. Senior Open T8 T29 T12 T44 T14 CUT CUT WD
Senior Players Championship T16 T17 52 T27 79 WD 74 76
Senior British Open Championship T49 T24 T14

Note: The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

References
  1. "Week 15 1989 Ending 16 Apr 1989" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  2. "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking" (PDF). Official World Golf Ranking. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  3. "Surgery has opened up a whole new world to Kite". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011.
  4. "Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Master's". MSNBC. Associated Press. April 3, 2009. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012.
  5. "Short-iron specialist Kite surges past the $8m mark". The Herald. March 1, 1993. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  6. Kupelian, Vartan (July 12, 2012). "Kite rewrites USGA record books with front-nine 28". PGA Tour. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  7. "2012 USGA Media Guide: USGA Superlatives" (PDF). USGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  8. "Which players will reach the HOF?". ESPN. April 18, 2007.
  9. Arkush, Michael (April 3, 2000). "Kite Wins in 6th Hole of Playoff". The New York Times.
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