Tom Kite
American professional golfer
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Thomas Oliver Kite Jr. (born December 9, 1949) is an American professional golfer and golf course architect. He won the U.S. Open in 1992 and spent 175 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between 1989 and 1994.[2]
| Tom Kite | |||||||||||||||
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Kite in 2008 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Full name | Thomas Oliver Kite Jr. | ||||||||||||||
| Born | December 9, 1949 McKinney, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) | ||||||||||||||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||||||||||||||
| Residence | Austin, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Career | |||||||||||||||
| College | University of Texas | ||||||||||||||
| Turned professional | 1972 | ||||||||||||||
| Current tour | PGA Tour Champions | ||||||||||||||
| Former tour | PGA Tour | ||||||||||||||
| Professional wins | 37 | ||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 5 (April 16, 1989)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||||||||||
| PGA Tour | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| European Tour | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| PGA Tour Champions | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Other | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||||||||||||||
| Masters Tournament | 2nd/T2: 1983, 1986, 1997 | ||||||||||||||
| PGA Championship | T4: 1981, 1988 | ||||||||||||||
| U.S. Open | Won: 1992 | ||||||||||||||
| The Open Championship | T2: 1978 | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Signature | |||||||||||||||
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Early life and amateur career
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.
At Texas, Kite was a first-team All-American in 1972 when he also shared the individual NCAA championship with team mate Ben Crenshaw. He helped the Longhorns win two NCAA Team Championships in 1971 and 1972 and Southwest Conference Championships in 1970 and 1972. He was a second-team All-American in 1970 and 1971 and won nine collegiate tournaments during his four years.[3]
Professional career
In 1972, Kite turned professional and was a consistent money winner until his retirement. 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,[4] 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.[5]
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."[6]
Senior career
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 played the Champions Tour until 2020, claiming 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.[7][8] He finished the tournament tied for 12th.
In popular culture
- On May 18, 1991, Kite was impersonated by Kevin Nealon as part of the "Carsenio" sketch on Saturday Night Live featuring Dana Carvey impersonating Johnny Carson and Phil Hartman impersonating Ed McMahon.[9]
- In 1996, Kite had a cameo in The Simpsons episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield", in which he gave Homer Simpson golf tips.[10]
Awards and honors
- In 1970 and 1971, Kite earned second-team All-American honors. In 1972, Kite was a first-team All-American.
- In 1973, Kite was noted as the Golf Digest Rookie of the Year.
- In 1979, he was bestowed the Bob Jones Award.
- in 1981, he was awarded the Golf Writers Association Player of the Year.
- In 1981 and 1982, Kite was bestowed the Byron Nelson Award
- Kite was the Vardon Trophy winner in 1981 and 1982.
- In 1984, Kite was inducted into the University of Texas at Austin's Longhorns Hall of Honor.[3]
- In 1989, he was named PGA of America Player of the Year.
- In 2004, Kite was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.[11]
Amateur wins
- 1972 NCAA Championship (individual; tie with Ben Crenshaw)
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)[a] | 3 strokes |  Dave Barr, Fred Couples, Donnie Hammond, Payne Stewart |
PGA Tour playoff record (6–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(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 by birdie on second hole Kite and O'Meara eliminated by birdie on first hole |
European Tour wins (3)
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Other European Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin 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 |
New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin 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. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin 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. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | The Countrywide Tradition | Larry Nelson, Tom Watson |
Won with birdie on sixth extra hole Nelson eliminated by 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)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | U.S. Open | 1 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 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1982 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 26 | 21 |
| U.S. Open | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 33 | 24 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 19 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 28 | 23 |
| Totals | 1 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 27 | 47 | 109 | 87 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 15 (1986 PGA – 1990 U.S. Open)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (four times)
The Players Championship
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Players Championship | 1 shot deficit | −9 (69-70-69-71=279) | 1 stroke | Chip Beck |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T19 | T40 | T17 | CUT | T28 | T9 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T31 | T27 | T27 | T51 | T64 | T4 | T9 | T11 | 1 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T5 | CUT | T35 | CUT | T9 | T43 | CUT | CUT | T25 | T77 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T66 | T44 | T36 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Senior major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Countrywide Tradition | −8 (66-71-71-72=280) | Playoff | Larry Nelson, Tom Watson |
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order before 2021.
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Tournament | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | NT | 78 |
| Senior PGA Championship | NT | CUT |
| Senior Players Championship | ||
| U.S. Senior Open | NT | |
| Senior British Open Championship | NT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Note: The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003.
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy: 1970 (winners)
- Walker Cup: 1971
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1979 (winners), 1981 (winners), 1983 (winners), 1985, 1987, 1989 (tie), 1993 (winners), 1997 (captain)
- World Cup: 1984, 1985
- Four Tours World Championship: 1987 (winners), 1989 (winners)
- Dunhill Cup: 1989 (winners), 1990, 1992, 1994
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Champions Tour): 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
- UBS Cup: 2002 (winners), 2004 (winners)
See also
Notes
- Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
