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'I'm disappointed' Kite hopes for lofty finish at State Farm Classic
HUNT VALLEY, Md. (AP) -- He ranks 13th on the money list, has shot par or better in 37 of 45 rounds and enjoyed unprecedented success during a rare foray back to the PGA Tour. Despite putting up some decent numbers, Tom Kite is still looking for his first win this season on the Senior Tour. "I keep looking at a lot of the scores I've been shooting, and I feel like I'm just a heartbeat away from a couple of wins," Kite said Thursday. "I'd have to say the year is a bit of a disappointment, but I'm only a couple of shots away from winning. When those things pop through, all of sudden it can turn into a great year very quickly." Kite hopes to end the drought this weekend at the State Farm Classic, which moves to Hayfield's Country Club after a three-year run at Hobbit's Glen. The 54-hole tournament begins Friday. "There are going to be some low scores this week," said Kite, who shot a 4-under 68 Thursday in the Pro-Am. "The course has wide fairways, huge greens and is in great shape." Kite, 51, won two tournaments as a Senior rookie last year. His $817,323 in winnings this year boosted him over $12 million in career earnings, but it's never been about the money for the 1992 U.S. Open champion. "In any profession, if you do it only for the money, you don't do it well," he said. "I just like competing." The feeling is mutual. "When Tom connects with his putting, he's a beautiful golfer to watch," said Bruce Fleisher, leading money-winner on the Tour this year. "He is the best ball-striker I've ever seen. I don't know if Tom feels the pressure of high expectations; he should be ripping all of us." Kite has finished third four times this year and reached the top 10 in 10 of 15 events. He also took fifth in the U.S. Open, the highest finish ever for a senior in a regular tour major. But he's been waiting 13 months to cash a winner's check. A little luck would help. Kite was one stroke behind leader Larry Nelson in the FleetBoston Classic last month with two holes to go, but on the 17th hole, his tee shot hit a bird in mid-flight. The bird fell into a pond, and Kite dropped to third place. "I don't feel snakebit," he said. "Even if I were to think that for one time, I would fight the urge to believe I was getting some bad breaks. I just need to play a little better and more consistently." His 9-under 207 last week at the SBC Senior Open, marred by a 73 in the second round, was good enough for only third place. "I played 27 of the holes beautifully, and 27 of the holes I played like a beginner," he said. "I'm disappointed with the way the year's going now, but I'm loving the challenge. I feel like I'm so close to winning practically every week."
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