Golf Roundup : Kite Wins Kemper by 7 Strokes

Tom Kite overcame a lackluster front nine to shoot a two-under-par 69 Sunday and win the $700,000 Kemper Open by seven strokes at Potomac, Md.

Kite, who took a one-shot lead into the final round, finished with a 14-under-par total of 270. He won $126,000, his biggest payday in 15 years on the PGA Tour.

Chris Perry and Howard Twitty finished tied for second at 277 and collected $61,600 each in the inaugural tour event at the 6,864-yard Tournament Players Club course at Avenel.

Kite made four bogeys on the front nine and led Twitty by only two shots after the 10th hole. But he gradually stretched the advantage to six strokes by making birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, and an eagle on the 524-yard, par-5 13th hole.

Kite, the only player to win a tournament in each of the last seven years, moved up to No. 8 on this year’s money list as he has won $324,583. He is fifth on the all-time list with $3,244,074.

Perry, who entered the final round one stroke behind Kite, had six bogeys on the front nine to fall well behind the leaders. Still, it was the best-ever finish for Perry, son of former major league pitcher Jim Perry.

Mike Reid, Scott Simpson and Greg Norman each finished at 278.

Norman, the defending champion and co-leader with Kite after Thursday’s first round, trailed the leader by one stroke after eight holes. But he fell off the pace when he double-bogeyed the ninth hole.

Chi Chi Rodriguez won his fourth consecutive seniors tournament, coming from three shots behind to overtake Bruce Crampton in the $200,000 Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am at Dallas.

Rodriguez, who trailed Crampton by three strokes at the start of the final round, shot a seven-under-par 65 for a tournament-record 54-hole score of 15-under 201 over the Bent Tree Country Club course.

It was the fifth win on the Senior tour for Rodriguez and it earned him $30,093. Crampton who finished at 202, shot a 69. Gary Player followed at 203.

Rodriguez, who has won $138,843 in the last month, improved his season total to $242,133, tops on the tour.

At Wilmington, Del., Betsy King, who finished second in her last two tournaments, birdied three of the last four holes to win the $500,000 LPGA McDonalds tournament.

King, 31, won $75,000 after shooting a four-under-par 67 for a 72-hole total of 278, two strokes better than Japan’s Ayaka Okamoto.

Okamoto, who had a 72, and Cathy Morse, who finished with a 74, were co-leaders after three rounds. Okamoto, who birdied the final hole, earned $46,250 for second.

Allison Finney (67) and Lisa Young (68) tied for third at 281, while Morse and Val Skinner (70) were in fifth at 282.

King, one of 14 golfers in LPGA history to surpass the $1 million mark in earnings, has won $297,818 in 14 tournaments this year. In the last three weeks she has earned $126,854.

Mark McNulty of South Africa birdied the 18th hole to beat Ian Woosnam of Wales by one stroke in the $320,000 British Masters at Woburn, England.

The victory was McNulty’s second straight and his 11th in 19 tournaments this year. He shot a 67 for a four-round total of 274.