Kite looking for continued success in California  PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator It's never a good sign when Nyquil and Dayquil are better options than water to make it through an illness. But that was the case for Tom Kite last week, as he fought the flu and laryngitis. Even under the weather, though, Kite managed a top-30 finish at the Toshiba Classic. He's back this week and ready to defend his 2006 title at the AT&T Champions Classic, a tournament he won by five strokes over Gil Morgan. Just over an hour down the road from Newport Beach Country Club, where the Toshiba Classic was held, is this week's venue, Valencia Country Club, making this the Champions Tour's second consecutive week in the L.A.-area.  Tom Kite is defending his AT&T Champions Classic title this week. (Grayson/WireImage)
"You can go to some cities where there are not a lot of good golf courses, so an average course is the best one," said Kite. "An area like L.A., with Riviera, Los Angeles Country Club, Bel-Air Country Club, has history and (the courses have) had numerous tournaments on them. People can picture the courses in their minds without even being there because they've seen them so many times on TV. Valencia is a fantastic golf course and has a great reputation." If Kite is impressed with the golf in California, then he should take a look at his own remarkable past in the state. Kite has won 10 tournaments in California, six on the PGA TOUR and four on the Champions Tour. That's over a third of his 28 combined victories. The most memorable of these no doubt was his 1992 U.S. Open win at Pebble Beach, where his even-par score of 72 in challenging conditions on the final day gave him a two-stroke victory. Though he's not trying for another major this week, the University of Texas grad would love to add to his legacy in California at Valencia. He thinks the easiest way to do that is, well, not so easy at all. "The key to the golf course is hitting iron shots really well and getting closer to the hole. Obviously to do that, you have to drive ball in the fairway," he explained. "Not one aspect of your game is overemphasized -- you really have to play well from tee to green." The 57-year-old is fourth in the All-Around Ranking on the Champions Tour this year, and he sits in the top 20 in total driving (which looks at his success in both driving accuracy and distance), putting average and hitting the green in regulation. Factor in a little confidence, since he has won at this venue twice before on the Champions Tour, and it sounds like Kite may have the formula to win again. "If you do not have your 'A' game when you come to Valencia, it beats you up," he said. "If you're not on all cylinders it's a very, very difficult golf course. If you are not one of the top players and are struggling with your game and if you go in not very confident with your skills, it's not going to be a fun week." Just because the course is tough, though, doesn't mean the Champions Tour guys are going to fold under the pressure. Kite sees the Tour as a place where the competition is still fierce, the golf is good and the venues are top notch. And the players have a little more fun. "It's much more intense on the PGA TOUR and that's how it should be," said Kite. "We are kind of looking for something a little more relaxing. It's a second chance at life. Everyone uses the term 'the ultimate mulligan' so many times and it's the perfect description. We get to compete, go to great places, play great courses, meet great people in pro-ams, and get to prolong our careers a heck of a lot longer than in other sports." Kite, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004, was a top player during his PGA TOUR prime. He led the TOUR in career earnings from Oct. 29, 1989 to Aug. 27, 1995, a six-year span which included six of his 19 victories. Some of the guys he competed against during his tenure on the TOUR, like Mark O'Meara, Jeff Sluman, Nick Price and Bernhard Langer, all debut this year on the Champions Tour. Then there are players like Fred Funk, who won on both the PGA TOUR and the Champions Tour within a few months. "Isn't that great?" Kite said. "Any time we have guys decide to go back and play on the PGA TOUR and even just play well, like make the cut and finish decently, that adds so much credibility to our product out here on the Champions Tour. And for him to go out there and win says a lot about not only his game, but also about the Champions Tour. "What we have right now is an exciting product with a lot of name players. We have a lot of names that have come in the last couple of months out to the Champions Tour. When you want to follow name players, quite honestly you can go down the list on the scoreboard. There are a lot of name players out here. Granted we're a little past our prime and not quite the players we were, but we're still pretty darn good." |
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