Golf Network News ← Back to the clubhouseClubhouse

Tom Kite

United States · born , McKinney, Texas, USA

1major championship

Summary

  • First major 1992 U.S. Open
  • Ryder Cup 7 Cups · 15-9-4 · 17 points (60.7%)
  • Ryder Cup captain 1997
  • Runner-up in majors 4 times

Wins

  1. 1992 U.S. Open Pebble Beach G.L. · 285 (-3) · by 2 strokes from Jeff Sluman

Near misses

  1. 1970 U.S. Amateur Waverley Country Club · runner-up to Lanny Wadkins · 279
  2. 1976 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T5 · 288 (E)
  3. 1978 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · runner-up to Jack Nicklaus · 283
  4. 1983 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Seve Ballesteros · 284
  5. 1985 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T8 · 285 (+5)
  6. 1986 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Jack Nicklaus · 280
  7. 1994 The Open Turnberry (Ailsa Course) · finished T8 · 275 (-5)
  8. 1997 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Tiger Woods · 282
  9. 1997 The Open Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · finished T10 · 282 (-2)

Ryder Cup

7 Cups, 28 matches: 15 won, 9 lost, 4 halved, 17 points. Foursomes 7-5-1, four-ball 3-4-1, singles 5-0-2.

  1. 1979 The Greenbrier (Greenbrier Course) USA · USA won 17–11 · 3-1-0, 3 points · automatic
  2. 1981 Walton Heath Golf Club USA · USA won 18.5–9.5 · 3-0-1, 3.5 points · automatic
  3. 1983 PGA National Golf Club USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 1-1-1, 1.5 points · automatic
  4. 1985 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · Europe won 16.5–11.5 · 1-2-1, 1.5 points · automatic
  5. 1987 Muirfield Village Golf Club USA · Europe won 15–13 · 3-2-0, 3 points · automatic
  6. 1989 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · tied 14–14 · 2-1-1, 2.5 points · automatic
  7. 1993 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · USA won 15–13 · 2-2-0, 2 points · automatic
  8. 1997 Captain USA · lost 13.5–14.5

Rivals

Beat him

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Jack Nicklaus' rivals →

Moments

Records and firsts

  1. 1989 Ryder Cup Biggest Ryder Cup winning margin: Singles (18-hole), 8&7 · Tom Kite over Howard Clark (1989); Fred Couples over Ian Woosnam (1997) (1989, 1997) (Tom Kite over Howard Clark (1989); Fred Couples over Ian Woosnam (1997))

Results by championship

    Best day

    1992 U.S. Open

    Pebble Beach G.L., Pebble Beach, CA · 285 (-3) · by 2 strokes from Jeff Sluman

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1992.

    Career line, 1970–1997

    Masters
    1983 Masters: runner-up to Seve Ballesteros1986 Masters: runner-up to Jack Nicklaus1997 Masters: runner-up to Tiger Woods
    U.S. Open
    1992 U.S. Open: won
    The Open
    1976 The Open: finished T51978 The Open: runner-up to Jack Nicklaus1985 The Open: finished T81994 The Open: finished T81997 The Open: finished T10
    Ryder Cup
    1979 Ryder Cup (USA): 3-1-01981 Ryder Cup (USA): 3-0-11983 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-1-11985 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-2-11987 Ryder Cup (USA): 3-2-01989 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-1-11993 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-2-0
    U.S. Amateur
    1970 U.S. Amateur: runner-up
    197019801990

    17 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Tom Kite was born on December 9, 1949, in McKinney, Texas, USA. Kite won one major championship: the 1992 U.S. Open. Kite played in 7 Ryder Cups for USA (1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1993), winning 15, losing 9 and halving 4 of 28 matches for 17 points, and captained the side in 1997.

    See Tom Kite in our rooms: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (1)

    1. 1992 U.S. Open Pebble Beach G.L., Pebble Beach, CA · 285 (-3) · by 2 strokes from Jeff Sluman

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1970 U.S. Amateur Waverley Country Club · runner-up to Lanny Wadkins · 279
    2. 1976 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T5 · 288 (E)
    3. 1978 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · runner-up to Jack Nicklaus · 283
    4. 1983 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Seve Ballesteros · 284
    5. 1985 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T8 · 285 (+5)
    6. 1986 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Jack Nicklaus · 280
    7. 1994 The Open Turnberry (Ailsa Course) · finished T8 · 275 (-5)
    8. 1997 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Tiger Woods · 282
    9. 1997 The Open Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · finished T10 · 282 (-2)

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 4 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Ryder Cup

    Kite played 7 Ryder Cups for USA: 28 matches, 15 won, 9 lost, 4 halved, 17 points (60.7% of those available). By format: foursomes 7-5-1, four-ball 3-4-1, singles 5-0-2 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1979 The Greenbrier (Greenbrier Course) USA · USA won 17–11 · 3-1-0, 3 points · automatic
    2. 1981 Walton Heath Golf Club USA · USA won 18.5–9.5 · 3-0-1, 3.5 points · automatic
    3. 1983 PGA National Golf Club USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 1-1-1, 1.5 points · automatic
    4. 1985 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · Europe won 16.5–11.5 · 1-2-1, 1.5 points · automatic
    5. 1987 Muirfield Village Golf Club USA · Europe won 15–13 · 3-2-0, 3 points · automatic
    6. 1989 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · tied 14–14 · 2-1-1, 2.5 points · automatic
    7. 1993 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · USA won 15–13 · 2-2-0, 2 points · automatic
    8. 1997 Captain USA · lost 13.5–14.5

    Partners, with matches played together: Curtis Strange (6), Calvin Peete (3), Davis Love III (3), Hale Irwin (2), Larry Nelson (2), Andy Bean (1), Johnny Miller (1), Raymond Floyd (1), Andy North (1), Mark McCumber (1).

    Records and firsts

    Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

    1. 1989 Ryder Cup Biggest Ryder Cup winning margin: Singles (18-hole), 8&7 · Tom Kite over Howard Clark (1989); Fred Couples over Ian Woosnam (1997) (1989, 1997) (Tom Kite over Howard Clark (1989); Fred Couples over Ian Woosnam (1997))

    Sources

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    2. rydercup.com — link no longer works (checked October 17, 2026): https://rydercup.com/news-media/usa/ryder-cup-team-usa-past-captains
    3. Golf Compendium
    4. GNN U.S. Open room (champions data)
    5. R&A 1976
    6. R&A 1985
    7. R&A 1994
    8. R&A 1997
    9. GC: 1979 ryder cup
    10. Wikipedia: 1979 Ryder Cup
    11. GC: 1981 ryder cup
    12. Wikipedia: 1981 Ryder Cup
    13. GC: 1983 ryder cup
    14. Wikipedia: 1983 Ryder Cup
    15. GC: 1985 ryder cup
    16. Wikipedia: 1985 Ryder Cup
    17. GC: 1987 ryder cup
    18. Wikipedia: 1987 Ryder Cup
    19. GC: 1989 ryder cup
    20. Wikipedia: 1989 Ryder Cup
    21. GC: 1993 ryder cup
    22. Wikipedia: 1993 Ryder Cup
    23. Wikipedia: List of Ryder Cup records
    24. Wikipedia: U.S. Amateur
    25. championships-plt.usga.org: u s amateur champions
    26. Wikipedia: Waverley Country Club