Tom Kite

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title: "Tom Kite" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-male-golfers", "texas-longhorns-men's-golfers", "pga-tour-golfers", "pga-tour-champions-golfers", "ryder-cup-competitors-for-the-united-states", "winners-of-men's-major-golf-championships", "winners-of-senior-major-golf-championships", "world-golf-hall-of-fame-inductees", "american-golf-course-architects", "sportspeople-from-mckinney,-texas", "golfers-from-austin,-texas", "1949-births", "living-people", "20th-century-american-sportsmen"] description: "American professional golfer" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Kite" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American professional golfer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox golfer"]

Field	Value
name	Tom Kite
image	TomKite.jpg
caption	Kite in 2008
fullname	Thomas Oliver Kite Jr.
birth_date
birth_place	McKinney, Texas, U.S.
death_date
height	5 ft 9 in
weight	170 lb
nationality
residence	Austin, Texas, U.S.
college	University of Texas
yearpro	1972
retired
tour	PGA Tour Champions
extour	PGA Tour
prowins	37
pgawins	19
eurowins	3
auswins	1
champwins	10
otherwins	5
majorwins	1
masters	2nd/T2: 1983, 1986, 1997
usopen	Won: 1992
open	T2: 1978
pga	T4: 1981, 1988
wghofid	tom-kite
wghofyear	2004
award1	Bob Jones Award
year1	1979
award2	[PGA Tour
money list winner](pga-tour-money-list-winners)
year2	1981, 1989
award3	Byron Nelson Award
year3	1981, 1982
award4	Vardon Trophy
year4	1981, 1982
award5	PGA Player of the Year
year5	1989
award6	GWAA Male
Player of the Year
year6	1989
awardssection
module	{{Infobox person
signature	Tom_Kite_signature.jpg
::

| name = Tom Kite | image = TomKite.jpg | caption = Kite in 2008 | fullname = Thomas Oliver Kite Jr. | nickname = | birth_date = | birth_place = McKinney, Texas, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height = 5 ft 9 in | weight = 170 lb | nationality = | residence = Austin, Texas, U.S. | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = University of Texas | yearpro = 1972 | retired = | tour = PGA Tour Champions | extour = PGA Tour | prowins = 37 | pgawins = 19 | eurowins = 3 | auswins = 1 | champwins = 10 | otherwins = 5 | majorwins = 1 | masters = 2nd/T2: 1983, 1986, 1997 | usopen = Won: 1992 | open = T2: 1978 | pga = T4: 1981, 1988 | wghofid = tom-kite | wghofyear = 2004 | award1 = Bob Jones Award | year1 = 1979 | award2 = PGA Tour money list winner | year2 = 1981, 1989 | award3 = Byron Nelson Award | year3 = 1981, 1982 | award4 = Vardon Trophy | year4 = 1981, 1982 | award5 = PGA Player of the Year | year5 = 1989 | award6 = GWAA Male Player of the Year | year6 = 1989 | awardssection = | module = {{Infobox person|embed=yes | signature = Tom_Kite_signature.jpg 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.

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.

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, 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.

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."

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. 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.

• 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.

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.
• In 1989, he was named PGA of America Player of the Year.
• In 2004, Kite was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Amateur wins

• 1972 NCAA Championship (individual; tie with Ben Crenshaw)

Professional wins (37)

PGA Tour wins (19)

::data[format=table]

Legend
Major championships (1)
Players Championships (1)
Tour Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (16)
::

::data[format=table] | 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 | USA Terry Diehl | | 2 | Sep 4, 1978 | B.C. Open | −17 (66-65-68-68=267) | 5 strokes | USA Mark Hayes | | 3 | Mar 8, 1981 | American Motors Inverrary Classic | −14 (69-68-68-69=274) | 1 stroke | USA Jack Nicklaus | | 4 | Mar 7, 1982 | Bay Hill Classic | −6 (69-70-70-69=278) | Playoff | USA Jack Nicklaus, ZWE Denis Watson | | 5 | Feb 6, 1983 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | −12 (69-72-62-73=276) | 2 strokes | USA Rex Caldwell, USA Calvin Peete | | 6 | Mar 11, 1984 | Doral-Eastern Open | −16 (68-69-70-65=272) | 2 strokes | USA Jack Nicklaus | | 7 | Jun 24, 1984 | Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic | −19 (69-67-66-67=269) | 5 strokes | USA Don Pooley | | 8 | May 5, 1985 | MONY Tournament of Champions | −13 (64-72-70-69=275) | 6 strokes | USA Mark McCumber | | 9 | Aug 3, 1986 | Western Open | −2 (70-75-73-68=286) | Playoff | USA Fred Couples, ZAF David Frost, ZWE Nick Price | | 10 | Jun 7, 1987 | Kemper Open | −14 (64-69-68-69=270) | 7 strokes | USA Chris Perry, USA Howard Twitty | | 11 | Mar 12, 1989 | Nestle Invitational (2) | −6 (68-72-67-71=278) | Playoff | USA Davis Love III | | 12 | Mar 19, 1989 | The Players Championship | −9 (69-70-69-71=279) | 1 stroke | USA Chip Beck | | 13 | Oct 29, 1989 | Nabisco Championship | −8 (69-65-74-68=276) | Playoff | USA Payne Stewart | | 14 | Aug 5, 1990 | Federal Express St. Jude Classic | −15 (72-68-62-67=269) | Playoff | USA John Cook | | 15 | Jan 6, 1991 | Infiniti Tournament of Champions (2) | −16 (68-67-68-69=272) | 1 stroke | USA Lanny Wadkins | | 16 | May 10, 1992 | BellSouth Classic (2) | −16 (70-65-72-65=272) | 3 strokes | USA Jay Don Blake | | 17 | Jun 21, 1992 | U.S. Open | −3 (71-72-70-72=285) | 2 strokes | USA Jeff Sluman | | 18 | Feb 14, 1993 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | −35 (67-67-64-65-62=325) | 6 strokes | USA Rick Fehr | | 19 | Feb 28, 1993 | Nissan Los Angeles Open | name=weather|Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.}} | 3 strokes | CAN Dave Barr, USA Fred Couples, USA Donnie Hammond, USA Payne Stewart | ::

PGA Tour playoff record (6–4) ::data[format=table]

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1976	IVB-Bicentennial Golf Classic	USA Terry Diehl	Won with par on fifth extra hole
2	1982	Bob Hope Desert Classic	USA Ed Fiori	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
3	1982	Bay Hill Classic	USA Jack Nicklaus, ZWE Denis Watson	Won with birdie on first extra hole
4	1986	Western Open	USA Fred Couples, ZAF David Frost,
ZWE Nick Price	Won with birdie on first extra hole
5	1988	Kemper Open	USA Morris Hatalsky	Lost to par on second extra hole
6	1988	Nabisco Championship	USA Curtis Strange	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
7	1989	Nestle Invitational	USA Davis Love III	Won with par on second extra hole
8	1989	Nabisco Championship	USA Payne Stewart	Won with par on second extra hole
9	1990	Federal Express St. Jude Classic	USA John Cook	Won with birdie on first extra hole
10	1992	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	USA John Cook, USA Rick Fehr,
USA Mark O'Meara, USA 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)

::data[format=table]

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other European Tour (2)
::

::data[format=table] | 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 | USA Lon Hinkle, USA Leonard Thompson | | 2 | Jun 21, 1992 | U.S. Open | −3 (71-72-70-72=285) | 2 strokes | USA Jeff Sluman | | 3 | Oct 13, 1996 | Oki Pro-Am | −15 (71-68-64-70=273) | 1 stroke | ARG Ángel Cabrera | ::

New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)

::data[format=table] | 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 | AUS Stewart Ginn | ::

Other wins (5)

::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Dec 6, 1981 | JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with USA Beth Daniel) | −18 (69-67-64-70=270) | 2 strokes | USA Vance Heafner and USA Cathy Morse | | 2 | Nov 8, 1987 | Kirin Cup Individual Trophy | −16 (68-69-66-69=272) | 1 stroke | USA Payne Stewart | | 3 | Aug 25, 1992 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with USA Billy Andrade) | −16 (64-64=128) | 2 strokes | USA Steve Pate and USA Corey Pavin | | 4 | Nov 22, 1992 | Franklin Funds Shark Shootout (with USA Davis Love III) | −25 (65-69-59=191) | 1 stroke | USA Billy Ray Brown and ZIM Nick Price, USA Fred Couples and USA Raymond Floyd, USA Hale Irwin and USA Bruce Lietzke | | 5 | Nov 17, 1996 | Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (2) (with USA Jay Haas) | −29 (67-60-60=187) | 2 strokes | USA Hale Irwin and USA Lee Janzen, USA Craig Stadler and USA Lanny Wadkins | ::

Other playoff record (0–1) ::data[format=table]

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1992	PGA Grand Slam of Golf	ZIM Nick Price	Lost to par on first extra hole
::

Champions Tour wins (10)

::data[format=table]

Legend
Champions Tour major championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (9)
::

::data[format=table] | 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 | USA Larry Nelson, USA Tom Watson | | 2 | Jun 11, 2000 | SBC Senior Open | −9 (71-68-68=207) | 2 strokes | USA Bruce Fleisher | | 3 | Sep 30, 2001 | Gold Rush Classic | −22 (65-62-67=194) | 1 stroke | USA Allen Doyle | | 4 | Jan 20, 2002 | MasterCard Championship | −17 (63-69-67=199) | 6 strokes | USA John Jacobs | | 5 | Mar 3, 2002 | SBC Senior Classic | −4 (74-69-69=212) | Playoff | USA Tom Watson | | 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | Napa Valley Championship | −12 (66-66-72=204) | 1 stroke | USA Bruce Fleisher, USA Fred Gibson | | 7 | Aug 8, 2004 | 3M Championship | −13 (65-69-69=203) | 1 stroke | USA Craig Stadler | | 8 | Mar 12, 2006 | AT&T Classic | −12 (70-64-70=204) | 5 strokes | USA Gil Morgan | | 9 | Aug 20, 2006 | Boeing Greater Seattle Classic | −15 (71-64-66=201) | Playoff | USA Keith Fergus | | 10 | Aug 24, 2008 | Boeing Classic (2) | −14 (69-67-66=202) | 2 strokes | USA Scott Simpson | ::

Champions Tour playoff record (3–2) ::data[format=table]

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2000	The Countrywide Tradition	USA Larry Nelson, USA Tom Watson	Won with birdie on sixth extra hole
Nelson eliminated by par on second hole
2		2002	SBC Senior Classic	USA Tom Watson
3	2006	Boeing Greater Seattle Classic	USA Keith Fergus	Won with birdie on first extra hole
4	2007	Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf	USA Jay Haas	Lost to par on first extra hole
5	2008	ACE Group Classic	USA Brad Bryant, USA Scott Hoch,
USA Tom Jenkins	Hoch won with birdie on first extra hole
::

Major championships

Wins (1)

::data[format=table]

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1992	U.S. Open	1 shot deficit	−3 (71-72-70-72=285)	2 strokes	USA Jeff Sluman
::

Results timeline

::data[format=table]

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
::

::data[format=table]

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
::

::data[format=table]

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
::

::data[format=table]

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

::data[format=table]

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made	Totals	1	4	1	16	27	47	109	87
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
::

• Most consecutive cuts made – 15 (1986 PGA – 1990 U.S. Open)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (four times)

The Players Championship

Wins (1)

::data[format=table]

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1989	The Players Championship	1 shot deficit	−9 (69-70-69-71=279)	1 stroke	USA Chip Beck
::

Results timeline

::data[format=table]

Tournament	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
The Players Championship	T19	T40	T17	CUT	T28	T9
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
The Players Championship	T31		T27	T27	T51	T64	T4	T9	T11	1
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
The Players Championship	T5	CUT	T35	CUT	T9	T43	CUT	CUT	T25	T77
::

::data[format=table]

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)

::data[format=table]

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
2000	The Countrywide Tradition	−8 (66-71-71-72=280)	Playoff	USA Larry Nelson, USA Tom Watson
::

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2021. ::data[format=table]

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
::

::data[format=table]

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
::

::data[format=table]

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)

Notes

References

References

1. "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking". Official World Golf Ranking.
2. "Tom Kite".
3. "Surgery has opened up a whole new world to Kite". The Irish Times.
4. (April 3, 2009). "Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Master's". MSNBC.
5. (March 1, 1993). "Short-iron specialist Kite surges past the $8m mark". [[The Herald (Glasgow).
6. Kupelian, Vartan. (July 12, 2012). "Kite rewrites USGA record books with front-nine 28". PGA Tour.
7. "2012 USGA Media Guide: USGA Superlatives". USGA.
8. (October 8, 2018). "Carsenio - SNL Transcripts Tonight".
9. (May 1, 2018). "Get in the … D'oh! The 7 best golf scenes from The Simpsons". Golf.com.
10. (April 18, 2007). "Which players will reach the HOF?". ESPN.

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