Tale Of A High-flyin' Kite

Kite and Pate were paired in the last round, and when they got to the 71st hole Pate held a one-shot lead. But it seemed certain that Kite would pull even because Pate faced a 30-foot putt to save par and hold his lead. Pate sank the putt, and what that meant was that Kite would have to try to catch up on the last hole, a par-5 where he would be at a horrible disadvantage because of his length off the tee.

Kite busted a driver and a three-wood but the closest he could come to reaching the green was a bunker 40 yards out. Pate hit a driver and laid up short of the green with a five-iron. Both Kite and Pate were aware of the same thing: A 40-yard bunker shot is the toughest shot in golf. And Kite had to get up and down from that bunker to have any hope of forcing a playoff.

As far as Pate was concerned, the tournament was over, so as the two of them walked up the 18th fairway, Pate, forever babbling, said, "You know, Tom, I could have reached the green easy, I'm so fired up. But I was afraid I'd hit a four-wood over the TV tower." Replied Tom: "Jerry, you play your game and I'll play mine."

Never one to miss an opening for a wisecrack, Pate said, "Well get on over in that bunker and play your game then."

Looking back on the incident, Pate said, "I thought I'd put him away with my mouth, but that son of a gun hit the greatest bunker shot I ever saw. He put it within 10 feet of the cup and then he damn near made the putt."

Damn near. A good title for the story of Kite's career so far.

Because he has flirted so much with winning without winning, Kite's reputation has suffered. He is perceived as too cautious a player, a percentage golfer, a man who cares only for survival. This, of course, isn't true.

"It kills me to lose;" Kite says. "It kills all of us out here. Some guys may think because I've been close so often I'm willing to settle for that. I'm not. I haven't yet played the golf I'm capable of. People who think I've gotten all I can out of my ability don't really know me."

Another thing bothers Kite. There are players who say he doesn't take chances, that he doesn't always go for it, as Crenshaw does.

"It's hard to take a chance when you can't reach the green in the first place," Kite says mournfully.