Layout changes, gusts throw field off course
It’s the same site but not nearly the same golf course. Still, there’s something about Avenel — and whatever form it takes — that appeals to Tom Kite.
Twenty-three years ago, when Avenel hosted its first PGA tournament, Kite was the winner. On Thursday, when the renovated course hosted its first Champions Tour event, Kite was the first-round leader.
Firing a 3-under-par 67, Kite took a one-stroke lead over Michael Allen, Mark O’Meara and Joe Ozaki in the Senior Players Championship. Play continues through Sunday at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.
“Everybody knew it was a great piece of property,” said Kite, 60. “From day one, everybody raved about [it] — this was a wonderful tract of land to put a golf course on. It had the rolling hills, a lot of trees. It always had great potential.”
Still saturated from a weekend of heavy rain, Avenel played long and soft Thursday. The course wasn’t easy, however. A swirling wind kept players guessing and scores in the black. Only four players in the field of 78 broke par.
“There were not a whole lot of birdie holes out there,” said O’Meara, who teed off with Kite at 9:40 a.m. — before the wind kicked up. “It was good to play the first five or six holes without wind. It was challenging on the back nine when the wind came up.”
Kite and O’Meara are comfortable playing in the wind. Kite, a Texan, survived difficult conditions to win the wind-blown 1992 U.S. Open. When asked about playing in the wind, O’Meara pointed to his record five titles at Pebble Beach.
“When you catch [the wind] for a round or two, I really enjoy that,” Kite said. “It forces you to be creative. It forces you to play some different shots.”
While O’Meara made three straight birdies on the front nine, Kite thrived on the back, playing the final 10 holes in 4 under. It was a solid ball-striking round for Kite. None of his birdie putts came from beyond 12 feet.
“I like hard golf courses,” Kite said. “Most of the wins that I’ve had, with very few exceptions, have taken place on the harder golf courses.”
One of those exceptions was the first iteration of Avenel, where Kite won the 1987 Kemper Open.
“They took what I thought was a pretty good golf course, and they improved it dramatically,” Kite said. “The look of the golf course is fantastic. But at the same time, they put a lot of teeth in it.”
