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Dreadful double Nelson capitalizes on Kite's bird-killing tee shot
Updated: Sunday June 24, 2001 7:24 PM
CONCORD, Mass. (AP) -- Larry Nelson didn't need that birdie on the 18th hole to win the FleetBoston Classic because Tom Kite hit a bird on No. 17. Kite was one stroke behind when his tee shot on the 167-yard, par-3 17th hit an airborne purple martin and fell into a pond, leaving him with a double bogey and dropping him out of contention. "You talk about the all-time bad breaks," Nelson said Sunday after finishing at 15-under par to win by three strokes and claim a $210,000 check. "You have a lot of bad breaks during the week, but this happened at the wrong time. "You feel bad for Tom. He was playing really well." Nelson, the defending champion, shot a 5-under 67 for a 201 total on the Nashawtuc Country Club course. He finished three strokes ahead of Bruce Fleisher and four ahead of Kite and Mike Hill in the final tune-up for the U.S. Senior Open.
Kite was the only other player at any point to reach 13 under. He was alone in second place when he hit what appeared to be a perfect tee shot at No. 17, but the ball hit the bird, killing it and knocking the ball into the water. "Wow, that's a lousy break," said Fleisher, who was in Kite's group but thought, as Kite did, that the ball hit a gust of wind. "That's sad because he was playing with a lot of confidence. He birdies that hole and you can get home pretty easy on 18." Kite took a drop on the bank of the pond, then chipped the ball onto the green and two-putted for a 5; he parred No. 18 to finish at 11 under. "The ball seemingly just fell out of the sky," Kite said. "I got myself in position to win the tournament and just came up a little bit short." Kite said he also hit a bird once at Pebble Beach, where fairways run along the Pacific Ocean and seagulls sometimes swarm around the course. "It's unfortunate when you have a chance to win the tournament," he said. Nelson, who had only one bogey on the day and just two in the 54-hole tournament, sank a 1-foot putt to birdie the final hole and ease into the victory. It was the 14th title of his senior career, but it was the first time he has successfully defended a title. Fleisher shot 66 to finish at 12 under. Kite wound up with a 67 and Hill, the second-round leader, shot a 72 to tie for third at 11 under. Dana Quigley (68) and Allen Doyle (71) were fifth at 10 under as the tour heads to the Open at the Salem Country Club, about 30 miles away. Nelson won his first two tournaments of the year but struggled lately as he battled a pinched nerve in his back. Using a different driver each day and graphite shafts to take the pressure off his neck, he shot a 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the first day, followed by a 69 that left him at 10 under, one stroke behind Hill after two.
Divots: Former Red Sox pitcher Louis Tiant made an appearance in
the press room. ... Kite finished fifth in the U.S. Open last week
- the highest finish ever for a senior tour player in a major. ...
Nelson moved to the top of the senior money list with $1,204,167
and raised his career senior earnings to $7,180,628. ... Nelson
earned 210 points and leads the Charles Schwab Cup competition and
with 1,125 for the season. The leader gets a $1 million bonus at
the end of the year.
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