KA'UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii >> Although tournament history was working against Larry Nelson -- no one has successfully defended the $1.5 million MasterCard Championship since it moved to Hawaii in 1997 -- it's firmly on the side of Tom Kite. Kite likes history when it
is going in his favorBy Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comIn the previous 18 MasterCard events, the player who has led or been tied for the lead after 36 holes has won the tournament 13 times, including six of the last seven years. The lone exception during that span was in 2000, when Graham Marsh's two-stroke advantage after 36 holes didn't hold up as George Archer claimed the title.
Kite has won two of the four Senior PGA Tour events he has led heading into the final round. He was victorious at the 2001 Gold Rush Classic and the 2000 SBC Senior Open, while he failed to hold the lead at the 2000 BellSouth Senior Classic, finishing in a tie for ninth, and the 2000 Ford Senior Players Championship. The latter was a 72-hole event in which Kite placed sixth.
"I've had some nice leads going into the final round in my career and they are always welcome," Kite said. "Any lead, you love having them because it means everybody has to play that much better to catch you.
"I've got to pay attention. There will be some good scores shot. I'm going to have to play well, but I am playing well right now. And I should have a good day tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be good enough to get a win."
Kite has managed three wins on the Senior Tour and 19 on the regular tour. His combined career earnings are $13.5 million. He will add $258,000 to that total if he manages to hold on and win today in what promises to be tradewind conditions.
"I'm sure the guys behind me hope the wind blows 100 miles an hour," Kite said. "They need to pick up a little ground and they need some help from me. I'm going to do everything I can not to help them."
Together again: Bobby and Lanny Wadkins will play together in today's final round for only the second time on the Senior Tour. The duo is tied for fifth at 6-under-par, some six strokes off the pace set by Kite.
Warming up for yesterday's round, the Wadkins brothers were asked which one was the model child. After going back and forth for several minutes, Lanny Wadkins conceded, "Neither one of us."
The brothers played together for the first time last August at the 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn. It was during the second round after both opened with 1-under 71s. Bobby won the head-to-head battle with a 68 as Lanny shot another 71. Lanny finished in a tie for 53rd, while Bobby placed seventh with Tom Jenkins and Jim Ahern.
They are dead-even with one Senior Tour victory apiece, but Lanny was clearly the star of the show on the PGA Tour, winning 21 times to Bobby's none.
Tougher conditions: The winners-only field of 33 shot about a half-stroke worse than during Friday's opening round. The average score the first day was 70.545 with 10 eagles. Yesterday, it moved slightly higher to 71.061 with only six eagles.
The most difficult hole was the par-3 fifth with an average score of 3.333 with only three birdies and seven bogeys. Tom Watson's triple bogey helped make that happen. The easiest hole yesterday was the par-5 seventh at 4.424. There were four eagles, 14 birdies and only three bogeys.
Through the first two rounds, the hardest hole has been the fifth with a scoring average of 3.242. The easiest has been the fourth with an average of 4.303. Surprisingly, no one has bogeyed the par-5 hole.