Tom Kite is a dignified golfing elder any way you look at it. But even a man with the 1992 U.S. Open title and 27 other career PGA and Champions tour victories on his résumé gets excited about playing with Arnold Palmer.
“It is nice when Arnold plays,” Kite said Wednesday after his pro-am round at Hayfields Country Club, where the Constellation Energy Classic is being held this week. “Anytime he wants to play, it is awesome.”
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Palmer?s return to Baltimore is the biggest highlight of this year?s Champions Tour event. The golfing legend earned one of his first victories on the PGA Tour in the 1956 Eastern Open at Mount Pleasant Golf Course.
Having Palmer at the tournament may address a problem Kite noticed with the tournament?s attendance. He could not pin down a reason, but he said attendance at the event has been smaller than other tour stops.
“To some extent, we have had trouble getting the community captivated by this tournament,” Kite said.
Scheduling could play some part in low turnout for the tournament, especially with a Ravens? home game this weekend. Despite that, Kite said that the development of this tournament into a major next year would help build excitement in the Baltimore area.
Regardless of the crowd size, Kite, who held a press conference with members of the media Wednesday, will be a favorite this weekend. He comes to the Classic having finished in the top 10 in his last six tournaments.
Chip Beck is on the opposite end of the career spectrum. Beck, who turned 50 on Tuesday, is making his first Champions Tour appearance after playing on the Nationwide Tour. He has four PGA Tour victories in his career but none since 1992.
Beck said he has been setting his sights on the Champions Tour for nearly a year and a half.
“It is a strange experience turning 50,” he said. “You wake up one morning, and your neck hurts a bit. Then you wake up the next morning, and your elbow hurts. Then the next day, it?s your foot. The senior tour is all about health, and that is all life is about.”
To maintain his health, Beck said he exercises and lifts weights and makes sure he does not practice or bend too much.
Beck was impressed with what he saw at Hayfields.
“The greens here are beautiful and undulated,” he said. “You have got to have a nice short game out here. I am not stretching to hit 260-yard par-3s. I have the length to play it.”
Beck hopes this weekend, and the rest of his Champions career, treats him well.
“The Champions Tour is where golf is played the way it should be played,” Beck said. “Now that I am here, I am going to play as much as I can.”
PAR FOR THE COURSE
» The Constellation Energy Classic will have a $1.7-million purse, with $255,000 going to the winner. Bob Gilder won the event in 2005 after carding an 18-under198.
» Tom Kite finished tied for 20th at last year?s tournament. He has 19 PGA Tour victories and has nine total Champions Tour victories. He also helped redesign the west course at Baltimore City Country Club.
» Chip Beck turned pro in 1978. His last win was the 1992 Freeport-McMoRan Golf Classic.
