Tom Kite is an American golfer, the heyday of his career fell on the 80s and 90s. Known for his innovative approach to this sport: he was one of the first players to use three Wedge clubs in his game. Kite has also always emphasized the importance of fitness for a golfer. And finally, by his example, he actively supported the practice of players communicating with a sports psychologist, which was new in those days.
Biography: childhood and youth
Thomas Oliver Kite Jr. was born December 9, 1949 in the small town of McKinney, which is located near Dallas in Texas. Then the family moved to Austin, where he spent his childhood and youth. Tom started playing golf because his father was fond of him. He trained from the age of six, and already at eleven won his first tournament. In Austin, his coach was the famous athlete Harvey Penick, who is included in the World Golf Hall of Fame. It is noteworthy that for the first lesson, Kite paid $ 3.5, but, appreciating a talented student, the instructor made further classes free. At Penick's training, Tom met Ben Crenshaw - the future golf star and his eternal rival.
Unlike peers who dreamed of becoming firefighters or baseball players, Kite wanted to connect his future with professional golf. He said of his first steps in his sports career: “At that time, there was nothing in my life that came to me more than golf. Nothing could even be a close substitute. ”
Thanks to a sports scholarship, in 1972, Kite graduated from the University of Texas, where he studied business administration. In college, he continued to play golf. In 1971-1972 he was the captain of the university team in competitions held by the National University Sports Association. In 1970 he won the Amateur World Golf Championship.
Sports career: heyday
In 1972, Tom Kite joined the Association of Professional Golfers (PGA) as a beginner. This organization holds annual series of PGA Tour tournaments in the USA, Canada, Latin America and other countries. In 1973, the athlete went through his first full season on the PGA Tour and received the title "Rookie of the Year".
Tom Kite won his first victory in the PGA Tour in 1976. Over the entire career of such victories, he has 19, in addition to them - 29 second places and 209 mentions in the top ten golfers. In 1979, Kite received the Bob Jones Award, which was awarded for outstanding sportsmanship in golf.
The 1981 season was marked by a major breakthrough in his career. The kite was named "Player of the Year" and twice (1981, 1982) received the prestigious Vardon Trophy award, which is awarded to players with the lowest average number of hits made. In the same year, the golfer topped the money rating, earning the largest prize amount for the season.
In golf, he had the nickname "Mr. Constancy", which is associated with a stable athlete career. In the best years, Tom Kite did not have sharp ups and downs. In the period from 1981 to 1987, he won at least once per season. In 1989, he was elected “Player of the Year” following the PGA of America. Kite again topped the earnings rating with $ 1.4 million in revenue.
For most of his career, the athlete lacked only one trophy - winning the Major Championships. As part of the men's world golf championship, four tournaments are held annually:
- The Masters Tournament - in the US state of Georgia;
- The PGA Championship - organized by PGA and held in different parts of the USA;
- The US Open - organized by the US Golf Association (USGA) and held in various places;
- The Open Championship - organized by the most prestigious golf club in the world Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and held in the UK.
In 1978, Tom Kite took second place at the World Championships in the UK, in 1983 and 1986 he also stopped a step away from winning the The Masters Tournament. Finally, in 1992, a golfer won the US Open at the California Championship. In 1989-1994, Kite was considered the richest golfer in America, earning more than his colleagues each year.
As part of the US team, he participated in the team tournament for the Ryder Cup seven times. This contest is held once every two years between the men's teams of America and Europe. In 1997, Tom Kite was the captain of the US national team in the Ryder Cup, but his team lost to golfers from Europe. He considers this experience to be the most important in his career.
In 1998, the athlete underwent surgery to correct myopia, before that, from the age of 12, he constantly wore glasses. In 1996, as part of the European Tour in Madrid, Kite won his last victory before moving to Senior major golf championships - professional golf for players over 50 years old.
Total Kite Wins:
- PGA Tour - 19;
- Champions Tour - 10;
- European Tour - 2;
- Major Championships - 1.
