Sunday, January 20, 2002
[MasterCard Championship]
KA'UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii >> The only drama left at this year's $1.5 million MasterCard Championship is how low can Tom Kite go. Kite’s lead climbs to 5 strokes
By Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comThe Texan continued to build a lead reminiscent of Secretariat at the Belmont with a second-round 69 to miss by one shot the 36-hole record of 131 set by Dr. Gil Morgan in 1998 and equaled last year by defending champion Larry Nelson.
Kite's two-day, 12-under-par total gave him a five-shot lead over John Jacobs, Bob Gilder and Walter Hall entering today's final round of the winners-only tournament. Morgan's 54-hole record of 195 is no longer in serious jeopardy, even if Kite shoots as well as he did en route to a course-record 63 on Friday.
The winds stayed low the first seven holes for Kite and he took advantage of it, shooting 31 on the front side. But the back was a different story altogether as the winds kicked up considerably. Kite's score reflected that as he bogeyed the 11th and 18th holes en route to a rather ordinary 38 on the back.
"It was pretty benign when we started," Kite said of the calm trades. "And you saw the guys take advantage of that with the low scores. But the conditions changed drastically after that. You have to be able to adjust when you're playing in conditions like these."
The bogey on the par-4 11th was the first for Kite this week. He came back to sink a big par putt on the par-5 14th to keep his comfortable advantage intact. The 52-year-old from Austin, Texas, took advantage of the par-5s through the first 36 holes, playing them in 7-under.
"I've never seen Tom strike the ball any better," said playing partner and defending champion Larry Nelson, whose 73 yesterday left him eight shots off the pace. "Before the wind kicked up, he was hitting the ball better than anyone out here. I still like his chances."
Kite wasn't as quick to agree, although the five-shot lead ties the largest going into the final round of this event. He knows that if he fires something close to par, someone could come from back in the pack to catch him.
"I shot 2-over on the back nine and I played great," Kite said. "I really played as well on the back nine as I have at any point in the week. I'm playing well. I'm hitting the ball solidly and I'm putting well. The putt on the 14th for birdie, I'm about 30 feet into the wind and I actually killed it.
"And it was like it hit a wall of molasses or something. It just stopped dead. Now I've got a six-footer for par. I really hit that solid and the same thing happened. It barely limped in, but it was a big one for me at the time."
Jacobs knocked in some big putts as well en route to a 5-under 67, the best round of the day. With Jacobs playing in an earlier group, the winds didn't start knocking him around until the final four or five holes, which proved advantageous for the 1999 MasterCard winner.
He didn't start very well with three consecutive pars, but managed birdies on the two par-5s on the front nine. He also birdied the first two holes on the backside and managed another on the par-4 16th to move into contention. He and Kite will be in today's final group.
"The only thing is, Kite is shorter than I am, so the wind won't affect him as much," Jacobs said, then laughed. "The wind was blowing so hard on the 17th, I aimed it 40 yards right of the hole and it still wound up left.
"I'll just play my own game. If you're behind, you'll want the wind to blow. If he gets a five- or six-stroke lead and there's no wind, nobody's going to catch him. So you need a little wind out there for a guy to catch up. What is funny out there is it blows, then it doesn't blow. On Friday, it just went dead silent out there for six or seven holes, then started blowing again."
The wind hasn't bothered Kite as much as the other golfers in the 33-man field. Kite hadn't played that much golf entering the winners-only tournament and had no idea he would have such a big lead coming down the stretch.
"I'm pleased with my position, especially considering the conditions," Kite said. "It was an absolute battle out there from No. 7 on in. I was disappointed to shoot 2-over on the back because I was still playing very well.
"I don't mind some wind. But when it's 40 miles an hour, it's really tiring playing in this stuff. You have to focus and concentrate on every shot. It wears you out. I'm going to sleep well tonight and hopefully I'll come out ready to play a good final round."
MasterCard Championship scores
At Hualalai Golf Club
Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii
Purse: $1.5 million
Yardage: 7,053; Par: 72
Second Round
Tom Kite 63-69 -- 132 John Jacobs 70-67 -- 137 Walter Hall 68-69 -- 137 Bob Gilder 67-70 -- 137 Lanny Wadkins 69-69 -- 138 Bobby Wadkins 68-70 -- 138 Dana Quigley 71-68 -- 139 Jim Thorpe 70-69 -- 139 Bruce Fleisher 68-71 -- 139 Jim Colbert 67-72 -- 139 Larry Nelson 66-73 -- 139 Allen Doyle 72-68 -- 140 Tom Wargo 70-70 -- 140 Mike McCullough 69-71 -- 140 Hale Irwin 73-68 -- 141 Tom Jenkins 71-70 -- 141 Gil Morgan 71-70 -- 141 Doug Tewell 67-74 -- 141 Steve Veriato 72-70 -- 142 Tom Watson 71-71 -- 142 Dave Eichelberger 68-74 -- 142 John Schroeder 73-70 -- 143 Bruce Lietzke 68-75 -- 143 Gary Player 75-69 -- 144 Graham Marsh 72-72 -- 144 George Archer 70-74 -- 144 Lee Trevino 74-71 -- 145 Jose Maria Canizares 70-75 -- 145 Sammy Rachels 75-71 -- 146 Ed Dougherty 74-72 -- 146 Hubert Green 74-72 -- 146 Joe Inman 74-77 -- 151 Leonard Thompson 78-74 -- 152