Tom Kite

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
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Oliver Kite Jr.
Born	(1949-12-09) December 9, 1949 (age 74) 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(s)	PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)	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
World Golf Hall of Fame 2004 (member page) Bob Jones Award 1979 PGA Tour money list winner 1981, 1989 Byron Nelson Award 1981, 1982 Vardon Trophy 1981, 1982 PGA Player of the Year 1989 GWAA Male Player of the Year 1989

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 an 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. In 1984 he was inducted into the Longhorns Hall of Honor.^[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]

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 1996, Kite had a cameo in The Simpsons episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield", in which he gave Homer Simpson golf tips.^[9]

Awards and honors

• In 1973, Kite was noted as the Golf Digest Rookie of the Year.
• In 1979, Kite was awarded the Bob Jones Award.
• in 1981, Kite was awarded the Golf Writers Association Player of the Year.
• Kite was the Vardon Trophy winner in 1981 and 1982.
• In 1989, he was named PGA of America Player of the Year.
• In 2004, Kite was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.^[10]

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)*	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.	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

  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

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

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

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

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

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

• 1972 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• List of golfers with most Champions Tour wins

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". Official World Golf Ranking. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
3. "Tom Kite". Retrieved September 3, 2024.
4. "Surgery has opened up a whole new world to Kite". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011.
5. "Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Master's". MSNBC. Associated Press. April 3, 2009. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012.
6. "Short-iron specialist Kite surges past the $8m mark". The Herald. March 1, 1993. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
7. Kupelian, Vartan (July 12, 2012). "Kite rewrites USGA record books with front-nine 28". PGA Tour. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
8. "2012 USGA Media Guide: USGA Superlatives" (PDF). USGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
9. Sens, Josh (May 1, 2018). "Get in the … D'oh! The 7 best golf scenes from The Simpsons". Golf.com. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
10. "Which players will reach the HOF?". ESPN. April 18, 2007.

External links

• Tom Kite at the PGA Tour official site
• Tom Kite at the European Tour official site
• Tom Kite at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
• Tom Kite at golf.about.com at the Wayback Machine (archived September 19, 2005)
• Tom Kite Design