SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

October 25, 2001

Tom Kite

TOM KITE: Pleased with the round. Could have been a little bit better, but good solid day. Obviously a very fast start, but eagleing 3 birdieing 6, those 4-under through six holes was kind of the round. From that point on I played a very steady round and had a couple of good opportunities, chances for birdies. Hit some nice putts that didn't go in and/or didn't hit a shot quite close enough. Still I hit a lot of greens. I think I probably missed two or three greens all day. And never had to chip. I think I putted all -- I probably missed three greens, and was able to putt on every one of those. So in effect, hit every green out there. So that made it a nice easy day and a good solid round.

TOM KITE: Birdied No. 1, hit a good drive and sand wedge in there about 15 feet, made that. Eagled No. 3, I hit a good drive, hit 5-iron about 18 feet, made that for eagle. And then birdied No. 6, 3-wood just short of the green, hit a wedge -- L-wedge from like 50 yards about eight feet past, made that.

TOM KITE: I had 207. 190 to the front. Playing straight downwind. The two par 5s, I mean the four par 5s go different directions so you are going to catch two of them downwind and two of them into the wind. It was -- that was the one that was really down that we can really take advantage of. That's a tricky little hole though. I hit a big drive there for me.

TOM KITE: Straight downwind but it gives you some opportunity because you are going to hit a (inaudible) the pin today was on the right-hand side of the green which is the dangerous side because there's a hazard up the right-hand side, but the green kind of feeds from left-to-right, so if you hit a shot into the middle of the green it would kind of work back in toward the hole. So if you hit a good shot you could really get rewarded. There were more 5s than there were 3s, just a hunch. I would bet there were more 3s than there were 8s (laughter). He made an 8? Really?

TOM KITE: Out-of-bounds: Summerhays' group went through, yeah. I don't know where a boundary is on the hole.

TOM KITE: We got up there and there -- it was a long wait on that hole. The group in front of us had not teed off so we knew there was something that had happened. But geez, didn't he shoot under par? He played well after that.

TOM KITE: Been playing very well, really have. I am excited with the way I am swinging it now and I am hitting the ball as well from tee-to-green as I have ever hit it in my life. I really am. It's a little tough to compare because you do hit shorter irons out here, but then on the regular Tour there's more 6, 7, 8, 9s and less 4, 5, 6, 7s than what we have. But still I have really driven the ball well. I am hitting it longer than I have ever hit it and some of it is because of the equipment and some of it is because I am swinging so well. I am feeling strong and the putter which has kind of been off and on at times has really helped me back this year. But I had a great week at on the greens at Sacramento two weeks ago. I think I was number 1 of greens hit that week and fourth in putting. So you do that, you shoot 22-under and you can do some nice things. I putted well today and did some nice things. I am excited about where my game is even so much so that believe it or not I am going -- I am going to play next week. I committed this morning. (Inaudible) Tournament in Puerto Rico which was unfortunate I was planning on playing there and what the heck, I was planning on playing, I am playing well, go out there and see some of the kids, see what they are up to.

TOM KITE: The physical -- so far knock on wood I haven't had many injuries or you know, just little naggy things that don't seem to bother me much. And I am working out hard trying to stay in shape so the physical stuff is -- so far has not been a detriment to my golf one way or the other. But I wish I had been in this good of shape when I was 25 because I mean, literally I played most of my career you know, at 150 to 155 pounds and now I am 170 and it's less fat. So large part of why I am averaging 280 plus now versus 260 most of my career, worse part of that's because I am in so much better shape than I was. So physically I don't.

TOM KITE: A lot more and better workouts too. So that aspect I have not really dropped anything. But concentration-wise, yeah it's harder to -- I find myself, you know, daydreaming out there, taking senior moment with guys, they really do happen. You just kind of go to sleep out there for a shot or two and it can cost you, and certainly having the one less day helps out an awful lot, and you know, in fact I go home always in between tournaments now. I never going from one tournament to the next tournament. I am always going home. Usually I am not doing anything Monday and Tuesday. I usually don't even touch a golf club Monday or Tuesday. So then come back and --

TOM KITE: Yes and emotionally and you know, that helps. No question about it.

TOM KITE: Yeah, 65, 62, yeah, 22-under, three days, I almost shot I think 65 or 6 in the pro-am. That would have been a good week anyway.

TOM KITE: Yes. You can look at the stats and I mean, I think I am No.1 in greens hit. I am No.1 in total driving and I think I am 14th or 15th in fairways hit and everything else, with the exception of putting, I am in the Top-10 out here. (Inaudible) When you are hitting that many greens and getting that many opportunities for birdies, it's tough -- it's kept me from winning a number of tournaments, but it's getting better. I have got to keep, you know, not -- doesn't do me any good to beat myself up or the putter. I have got to keep stressing that it is getting better. I am shooting more good scores in the 60s and less in the 70s because I am starting to make a few more putts. Today was a nice one, and the putts that I made out there, a couple of 15-footers, 18-footers; those are nice to see go in. No bogeys so obviously I didn't miss any short putts out there.

TOM KITE: Southern Hills?

TOM KITE: Awesome. It's really neat this week though because so many of the people that have been out to the tournament this week were at Southern Hills being this close, and so I have had a lot of people come, oh, I followed you, I saw you shoot 64 there, that was -- you know, stuff like -- that's pretty neat when you do nice things and have some success and then people come up and remind you of it, that's, you know, you can't get enough of that. That's really very nice to see and hear. It has been a pleasant week in that regard to have that. The thing that that tournament did allows me to keep playing a little bit longer on the regular Tour for a few tournaments that I want to. Back in the Masters I had kind of given up on ever seeing Augusta then. Now I am the oldest guy to -- not the oldest to play in the tournament but the oldest to qualify for The Masters. So that's pretty neat. I wish I had won the tournament, didn't have to qualify, but the fact that I didn't and now I get to go back and last year I played was 1998 which was before they had made any changes to the golf course. So I hadn't even seen the changes that they made a couple of years ago. So when I go there it is going to be like a whole different golf course. I am really looking forward to having the chance to play and like we were talking about, it sounds strange because I have only one won tournament out here, but honest to goodness I really feel like that if the putter can wide up just a little bit I can be competitive on any Tour. I really do believe that. Because I am hitting it better than I have ever hit it in my life and I was competitive out there before. Just keep working on the putting and trying to let that thing go so, I am excited about this next year. I know I will play the Open, I will play The Masters I will play the (inaudible) play Colonial and probably try to slip another one or two in there if I get a chance.

TOM KITE: Not really. If I ever got close to his record it might have been something, but his record --

TOM KITE: That would be neat, but, no, I mean, you don't really think about stuff like that. It's neat when it happens. I mean, I am trying to shoot a good score the last round at Southern Hills because I felt like that if I made top 16 that would get me back in the U.S. Open. Well then I got it going. All of a sudden looks like I am going to make Top-10. Ended up finishing fifth. Not only did I get back in the U.S. Open but I got in The Masters and you know, then all of a sudden somebody says, well, you are the oldest person that ever qualified for The Masters. That's neat but it wasn't the intention to do it, and I would go out there or Watson or whoever would were to become the oldest to win on the PGA TOUR, it would an neat feat for whoever did it. You can't think about stuff like that.

TOM KITE: It's just -- it's a lot of pressure trying to make putts to win golf tournaments for 30 years. It's interesting because a lot of times some of the best putters are at many of the club's across the nation and they are the old guys. But they have not tried to make putts for -- to win U.S. opens or to win Masters or to win Colonials or to win golf tournaments like that. They are just out there playing for nickels or quarters or whatever the bet is. It's a whole different deal, whole different mindset. It's just -- I guess we have seen enough that didn't go in through the years that -- but we have seen a lot of good ones too. At times you know, I never have any illusions that I might ever get as good a putter that I used to be, but there are times where I get on a little streaks where it's ever been -- like that 62 I shot out there at Sacramento, man, it was like a bucket. Just woosh, woosh, woosh, just filling them up. Just not as frequent. I got to make sure that I am playing that week when it does show up. I can't go (laughter).