Tom Kite
Thomas Oliver Kite Jr. 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.
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, 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 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 of playing in the most Masters Tournaments without a win.
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."
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 in the first round. This was the lowest nine-hole score ever recorded in any USGA championship. 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 ; Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey; Comanche Trace in Kerrville, Texas; Somersett Country Club in Reno, Nevada; Gaillardia Golf & Country Club in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Legends on LBJ in Kingsland, Texas; and Baltimore Country Club in Lutherville Mryland, West Course 1989.
Kite was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.
Amateur wins (1)
- 1972 NCAA Championship
Professional wins (37)
PGA Tour wins (19)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Jun 6, 1976 | IVB-Bicentennial Golf Classic | −7 | Playoff |  Terry Diehl |
| 2 | Sep 4, 1978 | B.C. Open | −17 | 5 strokes | Mark Hayes |
| 3 | Mar 8, 1981 | American Motors Inverrary Classic | −14 | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus |
| 4 | Mar 7, 1982 | Bay Hill Classic | −6 | Playoff | Jack Nicklaus,  Denis Watson |
| 5 | Feb 6, 1983 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | −12 | 2 strokes | Rex Caldwell, Calvin Peete |
| 6 | Mar 11, 1984 | Doral-Eastern Open | −16 | 2 strokes | Jack Nicklaus |
| 7 | Jun 24, 1984 | Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic | −19 | 5 strokes | Don Pooley |
| 8 | May 5, 1985 | MONY Tournament of Champions | −13 | 6 strokes | Mark McCumber |
| 9 | Aug 3, 1986 | Western Open | −2 | Playoff | Fred Couples,  David Frost, Nick Price |
| 10 | Jun 7, 1987 | Kemper Open | −14 | 7 strokes | Chris Perry, Howard Twitty |
| 11 | Mar 12, 1989 | Nestle Invitational | −6 | Playoff | Davis Love III |
| 12 | Mar 19, 1989 | The Players Championship | −9 | 1 stroke | Chip Beck |
| 13 | Oct 29, 1989 | Nabisco Championship | −8 | Playoff | Payne Stewart |
| 14 | Aug 5, 1990 | Federal Express St. Jude Classic | −15 | Playoff | John Cook |
| 15 | Jan 6, 1991 | Infiniti Tournament of Champions | −16 | 1 stroke | Lanny Wadkins |
| 16 | May 10, 1992 | BellSouth Classic | −16 | 3 strokes | Jay Don Blake |
| 17 | Jun 21, 1992 | U.S. Open | −3 | 2 strokes | Jeff Sluman |
| 18 | Feb 14, 1993 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | −35 | 6 strokes | Rick Fehr |
| 19 | Feb 28, 1993 | Nissan Los Angeles Open | −7 | 3 strokes |  Dave Barr, Fred Couples, Donnie Hammond, Payne Stewart |
PGA Tour playoff record
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | 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)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Sep 7, 1980 | European Open Championship | −8 | 1 stroke | Lon Hinkle, Leonard Thompson |
| 2 | Jun 21, 1992 | U.S. Open | −3 | 2 strokes | Jeff Sluman |
| 3 | Oct 13, 1996 | Oki Pro-Am | −15 | 1 stroke |  Ángel Cabrera |
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
Other wins (5)
- 1981 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic
- 1987 Kirin Cup
- 1992 Fred Meyer Challenge, Franklin Funds Shark Shootout
- 1996 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout
Champions Tour wins (10)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Apr 2, 2000 | The Countrywide Tradition | −8 | Playoff | Larry Nelson, Tom Watson |
| 2 | Jun 11, 2000 | SBC Senior Open | −9 | 2 strokes | Bruce Fleisher |
| 3 | Sep 30, 2001 | Gold Rush Classic | −22 | 1 stroke | Allen Doyle |
| 4 | Jan 20, 2002 | MasterCard Championship | −17 | 6 strokes | John Jacobs |
| 5 | Mar 3, 2002 | SBC Senior Classic | −4 | Playoff | Tom Watson |
| 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | Napa Valley Championship | −12 | 1 stroke | Bruce Fleisher, Fred Gibson |
| 7 | Aug 8, 2004 | 3M Championship | −13 | 1 stroke | Craig Stadler |
| 8 | Mar 12, 2006 | AT&T Classic | −12 | 5 strokes | Gil Morgan |
| 9 | Aug 20, 2006 | Boeing Greater Seattle Classic | −15 | Playoff | Keith Fergus |
| 10 | Aug 24, 2008 | Boeing Classic | −14 | 2 strokes | Scott Simpson |
Champions Tour playoff record
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | 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)
Results timeline
CUT = missed the halfway cut"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
- Most consecutive cuts made – 15
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2
The Players Championship
Wins (1)
Results timeline
CUT = missed the halfway cut"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Senior major championships
Wins (1)
1Kite won with birdie on sixth extra hole; Nelson eliminated with par on second holeResults timeline
Results not in chronological order before 2017.Note: The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003.
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances
AmateurProfessional
- Ryder Cup: 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1997
- World Cup: 1984, 1985
- Four Tours World Championship: 1987, 1989
- Dunhill Cup: 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge : 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
- UBS Cup: 2002, 2004