Associated Press
Thursday, July 13

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Tom Kite has almost always been a decent ball-striker. So when he's putting well, as he is now, Kite believes he has almost no excuse for not winning.

Around the first round

Brian Barnes made just the second double-eagle in tournament history. Using a 3-wood from 263 yards out, Barnes knocked the ball into the cup on No. 7, a 542-yard par-5. He finished at 68. Doug Tewell had perhaps the most interesting round of the day. Tewell had two eagles -- on Nos. 7 and 13 -- on his way to a 70. Tewell seemed on track for a tremendous round, making the turn at 6-under 30. But a pair of 7s contributed to a 4-over 40 on the homeward nine. Tom Watson's 70 was his 20th consecutive round of par or better this season, matching runs by Vincente Fernandez and Hale Irwin earlier this year. Watson's streak began Friday of the Bruno's Memorial Classic. The record for most consecutive rounds of par or better is 27 by Lee Trevino (1992), Ray Floyd (1995) and Bruce Summerhays (1995). Jack Nicklaus dug himself a deep hole with a opening-round 75. That leaves him 10 shots off the pace in a tie for 55th. His round included three birdies, two bogeys and two double-bogeys. Nicklaus hit just two of 18 greens in regulation.

Kite changed putters, changed the way he lines up, and found a new stroke three weeks ago. Since then, he's no longer afraid of those 4- and 5-footers he knows he should make.

"If I can just stay patient and stay out of my own way, I should be able to play reasonably well," Kite said Thursday after shooting a 6-under 66 during the first round of his first Senior Players Championship.

How well is reasonable?

"You know, it's golf," said Kite, who won the Tradition and the SBC Senior Open earlier this season. "I mean, sometimes you're going to get putts to roll up to the edge, and sometimes they are going to drop.

"But I should be able to remain competitive for a while."

Kite, who didn't play in The Masters, will compete in seven of eight major championships on the PGA Tour and Senior Tour this season. The Senior Players Championship is the fourth and final major on the senior circuit, and Kite leaves immediately after this weekend for the British Open on the Old Course at St. Andrews.

"I always try to go over on Friday," Kite said. "That was my usual schedule, go over there and have plenty of time to adjust. As it is now, I'm going to get there Monday afternoon.

"Hopefully, I'll get there in time to do something Monday afternoon, other than crash, other than go to bed."

Murphy's law
Bob Murphy has found that his occasional work in the television booth has helped make him a more patient golfer.

He said talking during a telecast about how many mistakes a player was making helped him realize that everyone has trouble at times on the golf course. Yet the good ones seem to overcome those mistakes and contend for the title on Sunday.

"You know, I looked up `patience' in the Irish dictionary. It wasn't there," Murphy said after his opening 66. "Well, I'm trying to be a lot more patient with myself when I make mistakes, and television has shown me that's exactly what happens.

"The best players are very patient. So I try to bring that with me when I go out, and sort of give myself a lesson type of feel."

Try something else
Larry Nelson, who showed up with two drivers and three putters, has one less putter now.

Nelson, using a classic Titleist Bulls Eye putter, couldn't get anything to drop in a disappointing round of 70 that could have been much better.

"Nope, that one's not coming back," Nelson said. "It's bye-bye Bulls Eye."